Relive the Good Stuff by Sharing it with Others: It will only take a few minutes.
Take Pen to Paper: Edition 39
Hi Friends!
Yesterday, at the grocery, the teenage stocker told me my glasses were cute.
She was also wearing glasses. We briefly discussed how hard it is to choose a pair. The exchange made me smile and feel seen. It only took a few minutes.
The exchange was gratitude worthy, but it wasn't in my journal. I forgot about it. (It’s in there now.)
I’ll be the first to admit that when I sit to write gratitude early each morning, sometimes the gratitude comes to me slowly.
My go-to method is to write what comes to mind first. When I’m stumped, it’s not because I’m not awake yet. My thoughts land on two or three of the same things.
I’m fine with repetition, but I don’t live in a bubble. My life is not the same every day.
Sometimes, I have difficulty remembering the good that happens to me.
That difficulty comes from not talking about it. I need to share those events with others, not just my gratitude journal (when I remember).
Sharing small acts of kindness and good does four things.
It helps you remember the experience. The more you talk about it, the more likely you will remember.
You get to relive that moment of happiness in the retelling. More happiness is good.
Relating your experience to others spreads the positivity of the experience with someone else.
You and those you share with are more likely to take similar actions for others in the future.
After talking about my happy experience, I’m much more likely to write about it when I write gratitude.
Now I find myself looking for opportunities to share the small, good experiences I have during the day. I want to remember them so I can write about them.
I’m also looking for opportunities to be the source of small, good experiences for others. After all, everyone likes to be noticed now and then.
7 Days, 7 Thoughts on Gratitude and Good
The photo above probably needs an explanation. I take pictures everywhere. I took this one in my neighborhood grocery shortly after I talked with a friend about the Savannah Bananas. She went to one of their games on a trip to Savannah. We live six hours from Savannah. I had to snap a picture and send it to her. Look for opportunities to share, no matter how small.
A quote: “…but if you don’t speak your emotions, you serve them, and if you don’t tell your story, you lose it—or, what might be worse, you get lost inside it. Telling is how we cement details, preserve continuity, stay sane. We say ourselves into being every day, or else.” -J. R. Moehringer
It’s good to recognize the random moments of good in your life. It gives you more to be grateful for.
This long article explains how we can change our brains by focusing on our positive experiences, including talking about and remembering them.
I’m grateful for people who start conversations with me by sharing something good.
This article tells about the benefits of writing your thoughts. Not surprisingly, writing about the positive (gratitude) is beneficial.
It’s good to relive the small happy experiences as often as possible. It leaves less time for mulling over the negative.
Thank you for reading!
Do you note the small good that happens to you each day? How do you remember?
If you have thoughts on this, I would love to hear them. Leave a comment.
This week be looking for the small good experiences you have.
❤
Susan
Share this post with a friend if you like it.
It seems like the best remembering time is during the night when you wake, wide awake, and don’t go back to sleep for awhile!