Gratitude: A Journal

I think I may have been grateful because I was thinking, OMG this pigeon is in my neighbours garden and I will need to use a ladder to get to it if it is sick. So I was grateful that I didn't have to go to those lengths to help it. Of course, I was worried about the bird too but I was feeling anxious as to how I was going to help it.

Zeesi said:

Ahh, so the truth comes out, lol. But I totally understand what you mean, on top of being concerned about the bird, the whole thing of how are you going to help it can cause a great deal of anxiety. What a relief knowing that you didn't have to go to any lengths as all in order to help the bird. That is something to be grateful for. Being able to breathe a sigh of relief is always a good thing.

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Ha ha, yeah, the truth is revealed lol!

I remember years ago I was driving down a road and I saw a seagull lying injured on the ground. My driver's window was wide open and my dog Tao in the passenger seat.

The seagull was on the other side of the road and the oncoming traffic was swerving to miss it, some cars driving straight over it with the poor bird ducking its head each time. Now I had also just washed my car the day before, it was gleaming!

I stopped my car, I didn't pull over to the side, got out and stopped the traffic coming the other way. I picked up the bird and found that it had been shot out of the sky and the fall had made its insides go like a pulpy mush. There was no choice but to put the poor seagull out of its misery. I took him into the nearest shop and asked the shop owner to do the deed. He was clearly upset but knew he had to do it. He asked me to leave because he couldn't bring himself to do it in front of anyone. I understood and waited outside, I heard a crunch and a squeal, he came out to me in tears and told me he would never forget what he had to do that day but it was the right thing to do.

We were both very sad. I got back to my car and remembered my dog Tao. All that time he had moved to the driver's seat and was watching without jumping out of the open window, what a good boy!

And the state of my gleamingly freshly washed, sparkly car? Oh, that was literally covered in bird poop! Seagulls were circling my car overhead, loads of them! They had seen everything and knew.

My wife introduced me to gratitude and whilst I do not make the physcal effort of writing my though in a diary or journal I am now conciously aware of the people and events in my life for which I am grateful.

It's a small thing and yet the very act of seeking out positive things in our lives is enough to change our mindset and make us more positive, or at least initially draw our attention to the fact that we do have things to be happy about in our lives.

Like the bird taking it's time, we need to slow down for a few minutes and be still. It allows us the opportunity to notice so much more that we miss or take for granted in our hectic lives. What's the old expression? Stop and smell the roses

Robert Turner said:

My wife introduced me to gratitude and whilst I do not make the physcal effort of writing my though in a diary or journal I am now conciously aware of the people and events in my life for which I am grateful.

It's a small thing and yet the very act of seeking out positive things in our lives is enough to change our mindset and make us more positive, or at least initially draw our attention to the fact that we do have things to be happy about in our lives.

Like the bird taking it's time, we need to slow down for a few minutes and be still. It allows us the opportunity to notice so much more that we miss or take for granted in our hectic lives. What's the old expression? Stop and smell the roses

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Yes, and I appreciate nature so very much. All forms of it. I appreciate the clouds even! At times I have sat out in the garden and just looked up and watched them move across the sky. I feel the awesomeness of what they are and gives me the perspective of what and where I am.

Trees amaze me too. I have a real affinity with trees. I look at them all year round. When they are naked in the winter I see the shape of the main body and their arms stretched out to the sky. When the spring comes I revel in finding the first one that starts to bud. Then when the summer arrives and the trees bodies are covered with leaves I think to myself, 'I know you, I know what you look like without your leaves on!' And that makes me smile to myself. Wouldn't it be funny if the trees knew that!

Nature relaxes me and makes me feel good. Nature is the best thing in this life for which I am forever grateful.