Mining Gratitude
August 29, 2022 at 5:07 p.m.
Mining Gratitude
By Shared by Ken Brennen
We paid a few dollars to rent some mining equipment (buckets and shovels) and started mining. We spent several hours under a boiling sun digging and screening the heavy clay-like soil. A friendly ranger wandered around to help us identify any diamonds we found. (They don’t look like the polished ones in jewelry stores). By the end of the afternoon each of us had two beautiful examples – of sunburn and exhaustion.
So, what does this have to do with gratitude? In fact, what is gratitude? Most definitions say it’s a feeling of being thankful and appreciative. Some sources note that gratitude brings both personal and health benefits. I call the most common examples of things to be grateful for “the crown jewels of gratitude”. You probably know them by heart and think of them often: wonderful loving family; caring friends; freedom of religion; freedom of speech; dark chocolate. Like the diamonds buried in the volcanic soil there is a scattering of gems of gratitude buried in the busyness of your everyday life. They may get passed over because you are so focused on what you’re doing. Here’s how to mine those gems to add another dimension to your life and to preserve them as treasures for future reflection.
To start you’ll need three pieces of mining equipment. The first is a bed, the one you sleep in every night. Then you will need a pen. But not all pens are created equal. Choose a pen that is comfortable to hold and gives you a good feeling when you write with it. The third item is a simple blank notebook, one that is a pleasure to hold and write in.
Here’s how to use your mining tools. When you get up in the morning, place the notebook on your pillow. Place the pen on top of the notebook. Then go about your busy day.
When you go to bed at night, the notebook and pen will confront you. Now you have to find a comfortable place to sit and write - maybe on your bed, maybe somewhere else. Start a dated entry in your notebook. Now list at least three gratitude-inspiring gems that popped up during your day. You may want to do more than three, but three is the minimum. If at first you can’t come up with three, keep going. You’ll become a better miner with practice and may soon want to do more than three.
It’s not necessary to write paragraphs when making your entries. You want to get to bed ASAP, right? So just use short sentences or phrases. But be clear and complete. You need to record enough information to fully remind you of this gem in the far future.
It might be easier to find your gems if you look for them in three categories of events. The first category of places to look is events that dropped on you out of nowhere, random events that punctuated your day. The second category includes all those things that other folks have given to you or done for you. That seems pretty straight forward, doesn’t it? And finally, the third category is things you did for people: the opportunity to help others gives a deep sense of satisfaction. These might be the largest diamonds of all. But don’t forget to list things that you did for yourself. Remember that you are an important person in your own life. You deserve a bit of recognition for contributing to your own happiness.
Here are a few examples to illustrate the three categories of places to look. A random event or gift from the unknown: It was a glorious red and orange sunrise today or ran light accidentally, narrowly escaped collision. A gift from someone else: Steve surprised me with tickets to see ---, or Shelly called, coming to visit next week. Things you do for others or yourself: Nice two hour visit with Effie at the Manor today or finally signed up for Village Center painting class! Anything that triggers a sense of appreciation or thankfulness is fair game here. It doesn’t have to be earth shaking. An entry could be as simple as “Four loads of laundry done by 3:30.”
So, there it is. A method for mining the hidden gems of gratitude in your life, bringing them to your attention, and recording them in your own gratitude journal. Think of your journal as the display cabinet for your personal gems, the highlights of your life, mementos for future reminiscence. In the future perusing it will bring you relaxation and pleasure. Why not try it? I’m sure you’ll have better success than Mary and I did in Arkansas.