365 day patch gratitude challenge

I thought it only fair that I give you a heads up that I am going to begin including a daily patch gratitude journal on my blog (on a special page named ‘Patch Gratitude’) as well as on the Tales from the Cabbage Patch Facebook Page. Now before you go getting all too excited about this, you should probably know that it is not going to be one of those butterfly and rainbow journals, although I may throw in the odd mushy sentiment every now and then because I think it is important that you know that I am not a complete and total whack job.

Even though I am quite capable of feeling all warm and fuzzy like, I tend to see things in this crazy life of mine in a more whimsical, humorous and twisted sort of way. Sometimes I even see things sarcastically. I know, it may be hard for you to believe it but I really do.

You are probably thinking, “Head Cabbage, how can you create a gratitude journal out of seeing something sarcastically?” Well, you will probably be surprised by this but it can be done by thinking outside of the box, a quality that I seem to have an aptitude for. Hmmmm, I wonder what that would like on a resume? The Head Cabbage’s strengths are: thinking outside of the box, sarcasm, whimsy, humour and twistedness.

All kidding aside, the real reason I want to begin a gratitude journal is simple. It is not because I am looking for some existential answers about the meaning of my life (that’s just way, way too deep at this stage in my life; although if some answers did happen to come my way, I wouldn’t shoot the messenger) but rather it is because I want to make sure that I am not taking anything for granted in my life, big or small.

While there are so many things in my life that make me feel happy and loved, all of which I am truly thankful for, I think there is something very tangible about acknowledging and journaling them. Rather than gratitude being a passive activity, I hope to become more present in my life by creating more grateful situations where I may not have seen them

before.

Now that I am at home, I am concerned about slipping into a routine where I begin to take things for granted in my life, my relationships, and my surroundings. I want to be excited about the world around me by creating a positive new habit which has the potential to lead me in a direction I had never before considered. Who knows where this could lead, where I could end up? Hopefully, it is not to jail or in a straight jacket.

Is this going to be easy? Nope, not at all. I imagine it is going to be quite a lesson in patience, dedication, creativity, optimism, effort, commitment, and persistence which, when you think about it, are all really big words for ‘this is going to be freakin’ hard work’. Plus, as if all of this hard work wasn’t enough I am going to be making this public. Who in their right mind would do that?

Looks like that is going to be me (assuming that at some point in time I am going to be in right mind). I need to make this public because I need accountability. While I have tried keeping a private gratitude journal a couple of times before (both times starting out with a gratitude bang but getting sidetracked by health issues, stressful business situations, fatigue, and whatever else happened to come along and veer me off course), I know that if I do not feel the responsibility of posting on my blog every day, I will likely veer off course again. Isn’t it Dr. Phil who says that ‘the best predictor of future behaviour is past behaviour”? Goodness knows that I do not need his voice competing with the other voices inside my head for the “I Told You So” award.

What I may need is your help along the way; I may need your gentle reminders that (please do be gentle for remember Dr. Phil might be lecturing me inside my head), if I haven’t posted an entry in a day or two, it is time. If I ever doubt my abilities, I may need some encouraging words to keep going.

I also hope that by posting a daily gratitude journal that you may be inspired to post along with me (either on the blog, on Facebook or in private) for what you are grateful for that day. We could begin a whole new gratitude movement right here in the Cabbage Patch and that, as Martha Stewart would say, is a good thing.

Gratitude: 1

Mundane: 0

PS: If you would like some ideas about beginning a gratitude journal, there are many sites on the internet to help you get started. Here are two of my favourites: www.365grateful.com and www.thxthxthx.com. I plan on my gratitude journal being a combination of the two.

PPS.: the link to my Facebook page is https://www.facebook.com/talesfromthecabbagepatch/