2016: Year of Gratitude and Joy

2016  My Year of Gratitude and Joy    

I am committed to beginning each day with gratitude and ending each day reflecting on the joy of the day.  My first communication of the day will  be to send a note or post of gratitude. My last action of day will be to reflect on the moments of joy from the day.

      2015 was a year of "Let's Go."  I fully embraced the opportunities of living in Los Angeles, from the Dead Sea Scrolls to an adult sleepover in the Dino Hall at the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County.  One of the events I enjoyed was a Q & A with Shonda Rhimes, at a Los Angeles Times Ideas Exchange at USC.  I enjoy hearing an artist talk about their creative processes in person.  I usually get an autographed book to add to my collection as well.  My daughter, a huge Shonda fan, joined me and made it even more special.  Shonda shared her story and the inspiration behind her book A Year of Yes.  It reminded me of a  past difficult year,  when I committed to that ending the day by writing down at least 3 things that were joyful in the day.  That was the year of "Finding Joy."  In the beginning it was a challenge to find three moments of joy.  I had to look hard for them each day. Through daily reflections I began taking notice of and giving more weight the  small moments of joy - the cup of tea that brewed just right, the perfect scent of a Mr. Lincoln rose or joy in the fresh smell of clean sheets.  These were moments of joy that I had been passing over.  Soon, I was discovering many more moments of daily joy.  

 

I was also inspired by a Gratitude Project on I saw on YouTube and this was revived by an article in Parade Magazine that included The Gratitude Diaries: How a Year of Looking on the Bright Side Can Transform Your Life.  Keeping a Gratitude Journal holds you accountable and helps you to focus on the many things we should be thankful for everyday.  I just tried to find the original YouTube video, but this ideas has so caught on that there are over 23,000 results when I searched for gratitude journal.  Wow!  Even Oprah is doing it!  I decided to do a Gratitude Journal for 2016 and to restore the practice of daily reflections on joy.  I know both will  bring positive energy and more happiness to my life.    

 So here is my 2016 New Year's Resolution: 

      

Diane
January 1, 2016