Saturday, March 3, 2012

Fighting Negativity with Gratitude

I am a collector of quotes.  Beautiful, meaningful, relevant quotes have given me more peace, more direction, more focus, more life lessons, more self-awareness than almost any other thing in my life.  So - I collect them.  I have since I was a pre-teen.  Journals full of quotes.  So, I have decided that I will include a daily quote as part of each slice of life post.  Hope many of you find solace and relevance in some of them as well.

I have been barraged with negativity over the past week - primarily from a parent of a student.  I have decided to combat this onslaught with a dose of gratitude.

Today I am thankful for ~
•my warm mug of coffee and a quiet moment to read the newspaper (and several SOLC posts)
•my loving dog, Kona.  Boy did we luck out on this dog - she is a keeper
•my husband - though we've always had lots of bumps along our journey, we remain loyal to each other and I am grateful for him everyday
•my two amazing children - the pre-teen and teen years are proving to be tough for everyone - but there isn't a day that passes that I am not in awe of them - and am forever grateful that my one true desire in life - motherhood - came true.
•a day without crazy wind - March in Albuquerque! - those of you who live here know what I mean!!!
•the SOL Challenge - and all the serendipitous moments and events that led me to this wonderful activity and this wonderful group of writers, teachers, friends...
•the coming of spring, which leads to my most favorite time of the year.....SUMMER
•a moment to breathe deeply, write a post for the day, enjoy a "slice" of solitude - before a busy weekend.

Quote for the day: Silent gratitude isn't much use to anyone.~G.B. Stern

6 comments:

  1. I collect quotes, also. Yours today made me smile. I am a peacemaker and often keep my thoughts to myself. Gratitude, though, should be expressed. Just a couple weeks ago, I finally penned a letter to a teacher who inspired me; it was for her 80th birthday. She was my teacher about 37 years ago. Why did I wait so long? I'm just glad I finally did it! Enjoy your day!

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  2. Hi, Julie. I love this slice of gratitude. We have so many things for which to be grateful if we just take the time to notice! I am thankful that you write.

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  3. What a great idea! We are starting state tests next week, and I think I need to do a gratitude post every day! I live in Denver and we have had tons of wind this winter too!

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  4. Love the quote and the gratitude list! Life is so much better when we focus on the good stuff, no matter how small! :)

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  5. I think it is a wonderful idea to include a quote every day. Your solution to fight negativity with a gratitude list gives a good example for others.

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  6. I love this post! All too often it's easy to get sucked into the negativity that swirls around us (especially in the teaching profession), but your idea to combat this with positive thankfulness speaks to your character. I'm glad you didn't let it sour your mood, but instead rose above it! :) I am also a collector of quotes!

    Jennifer
    web.me.com/aggiekesler/myjourneyabroad

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