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Beyond the Day

When I started the Gratitude Attitude 365 I was curious about what Gratitude Attitudes might become an action from the attitude. Here's the ones that went beyond the day and became an action in my life.

Day 24: Literacy - you can read the Gratitude Attitude here. I now volunteer with the Children's Literacy Center in Colorado Springs.  During the school year I tutor a kid two times a week after work.  Not only am I helping a kid learn to love to read (I hope) but it is serving as a good refresher for me in terms of the "technical" side of grammar, etc.  I love it.  I do!

Day 41: Spontaneity - you can read the Gratitude Attitude here. This is a big deal for a Type A like me.  But as the year has gone on, and perhaps as I have gotten older, I have practiced spontaneity more and more. I've adopted a more "go with the flow" attitude as time marches on.

Day 103: Community - you can read the Gratitude Attitude here.  Being in authentic, genuine community is tough.  The community in this blog has continued with its "growing pains" and we've hit an obstacle in the last few months.  I continue to learn what authentic community looks like, behaves like, sounds like.  As I learn about true community I desire to be in one.  This can be hard when not everyone is able to be authentic due to lack of trust, insecurities, baggage from other relationships, etc.  That applies to me for sure. It's hard for me to trust some people with my "stuff". So we all contribute to community - both its dysfunctions and its health.

Day 169: Goals - you can read the Gratitude Attitude here. Well here is confession time.  This one went from action to nothing.  Ugh.  But I'm all about being real so lest anyone think I am still moving forward on these goals I'm here to tell *you* I stalled out.  I stalled out with the walking because I went through a period of time where my right hip wasn't allowing me to walk at all.  So we had to get all worked out. By then the habit was broke and I can't seem to pick it up again.  And the water?  Well I just forget.  I forget to drink water, it's so bad I know.

Day 200: "Silly" Holidays - you can read the Gratitude Attitude here.  I would say this is a foreshadow.  'Nuf said. ;)

Day 203: Fragility - you can read the Gratitude Attitude here.  I've been learning a lot about my fragile relationships in the past year.  And as I work through emotions and baggage and come out with, hopefully, a better understanding of that person I have been changing how I interact with them based on their fragility. The area where it is the most noticeable to me is in my marriage.  My counselor has helped me to understand my hub's behaviors in light of his past and how it affects him today.  So I'm walking alongside of him in those things to show him a different way rather than pushing him out of the way in frustration.  Also having teenage girls is giving me lots of opportunities to "handle with care".  :)

Day 204: 3 C's - you can read the Gratitude Attitude here.  I'm always trying to move forward in this. Sometimes it goes okay, other times not so much.  When someone approaches me with a challenge about something they see in my character or behavior that isn't cool then conflict always arises, as I get older the conflict is usually contained to myself but sometimes it bounces back to the person who brought it up.  The question then becomes, "What will I do with this challenge and the conflict it has created?"  Two options.  1) Stuff it, allow my pride to ignore it and dismiss it and excuse it away.  2) Confront it head on with courage and seek out truth and then if necessary change. I hope it can be said of me that I walk in option 2 way more than I do option 1.

Day 298: Painting Nails - you can read the Gratitude Attitude here. This particular day really stuck with me. It's such an easy thing to do and really the time commitment is minimal in the big picture.  Having said that, it's time well spent. So I've contacted the place I did this at in June and I'm setting up a day to go back once a month and paint nails and pamper some ladies.  I feel strongly about treating our elderly well and with dignity.

So there it is, action that was the result of an attitude of gratitude.  When have you noticed a moment of gratitude in your life become an action?



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