Thankful
This page is another example of how circular life is, how our thoughts, our feelings and our actions ripple out from us, circling round and lapping against everything in their path.
We are so small and seemingly insignificant in the universal pool of life, but every move we make creates a ripple that grows ever wider, reaching out to and crossing paths with our fellow swimmers. We can float along if we wish. But to keep moving is to continually create these waves of energy, to continually send something out into the world. To swim is to move one’s limbs in a purposeful way. It is also to propel oneself, to move from one location to another, to take yourself to new places. It is to take yourself further.
Herein lies the beauty: the more you move, the more likely you are to eventually be touched by your own ripples as they spread out and intersect with the new places you find yourself in.
This page was inspired by a comment on a post. The post was about a book. The book was given to the blogger by her sister. The book is by a woman who wondered, “How do I give up resentment for gratitude, gnawing anger for spilling joy?”. She was set on her journey toward gratitude through the words and actions of her brother-in-law. Ripples. Ever widening circles.
My goal is to acknowledge at least one thing I am thankful for, every day.
I want to keep moving; I want to send something positive out into the world. I want to find myself in a new place. And when I get there, I want to experience the feeling of my own positive energy lapping back against me. To help me on my way, I’ll be checking in with my fellow bloggers who have chosen to chronicle their thankfulness. It’s very exciting! Let’s see where the ripples go now, how they spread, how they intersect one another. Let’s keep moving. I wonder where we’ll end up?
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Items of interest:
The book is One Thousand Gifts. How appropriate, in that the book is a kind of gift that multiplies upon itself each time we readers are thankful, each time we encourage others to be thankful.
The idea for a Thankfulness page came from Harold. He commented on Patti’s post that, “We all could add some thankfulness to our own world and the rest of the world could benefit!” Harold, I stole the idea for my Thankful page from you – I mean, thanks for that ripple of thought! Harold is my list inspiration, and I like how he has embraced the fact that “It can be simple things too!” He is so right.
The original post is Saying Thanks, by Patti Ross. When I told her that I was also going to do a Thankfulness page, she said that, “as we each appreciate more, deliberately, we will infect others with the positive thankful attitude. I am adding your bright outlook to my appreciation list!” See – it’s already working! All these overlapping circles of energy – that’s good stuff.
I happened across another blogger who posts about thankfulness on Thursday, my day of thanks. There is a lot there to contemplate. I love how Patricia can look at what’s going on around her and, rather than adding to the cacophony of complaints, she extracts an appreciation for what she has. That is something I wish to emulate.
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Related articles
- Being Thankful (viktormusili.wordpress.com)
- Thoughts on Thankfulness: Part II (dankasworld.wordpress.com)
- Gratitude Tuesday – Live in Gratitude (lifeadvisortina.wordpress.com)
- Being Thankful (completelydevoted.wordpress.com)
- How to Naturally be Grateful (Elle Swan video)
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steadily skipping stones 
I love the idea of intersecting ripples as we each spread appeciation throughtout our lives. Here is one more of me sending ripples back to you! I appreciate your thoughtful perspective and musings.
Thanks, Patti! My first comment on the Thankful page – very exciting!
I keep picturing raindrops on water, you know how all the ripples are overlapping each other? That’s like people, I think.
I like the way you have your thankful page set up. Very motivating! I think it will inspire others.
Thanks, Patricia – I hope it does. There’s no way for the good to stop with me, unless I let it go nowhere. The more I focus on being thankful, the better a person I will be. The better I am, the more it will rub off on other people. So, even if no one ever looks at the page again, it will continue to do good.
The ripples of life, ideas…like stones thrown in a pond…ripples over-lapping. Well written and I am glad to be a part of your inspiration/ripples! Enjoy everyone! Be thankful for something each day!
Thank you, Harold! I’m trying. It is amazing how just being aware makes such a difference in your day. When you go out and face the world with the question in your head, “What am I going to be thankful for today?”, it puts you in the right frame of mind. You expect to be thankful. You actively look for reasons to be thankful.
At least I did today. We’ll see what tomorrow brings. And the next day and the next… The key is to keep it going, and I think that your idea of a Thankfulness page is the perfect way to keep it going. It is a constant reminder. Goodness knows I’m on here enough – I will be reminded!
I love this! I’ve been thinking of doing something like this – even starting (another!) blog just to post what I’m thankful for everyday. I like the idea of doing it once a week – I think it’s a nice balance – and I could add to it all week. Thanks so much for bringing me here – and for your positive comments on my blog.
You’re very welcome! I’m so glad you like it – it was Harold’s idea, yay Harold! I do think God has a plan and I’m really working on listening to what He has to say. I kept thinking of you in relation to this, and when your post really reminded me of it, I thought I needed to share.
That is a major theme of my year – listen and do! God talks to me all the time, prompting me. In the past, I’ve been mostly too timid to follow through. But I don’t know what larger purpose God has in mind. Ultimately, I came to realize how selfish and just wrong it is not to follow through, whether it’s a phone call, a post, a comment – being honest with my words, reaching out to another person in some way. By not following the pull in my heart, have I made the decision to deny another person of what God intended them to have? Simply because it is outside of my comfort zone?
Maybe, though I know God will get that person what they need despite me. But I was definitely denying myself of the experience that God intended for me, perhaps of strengthening my relationship with the other person, of learning something from the other person and the experience in general. Of growing as a person and in my faith. I still struggle with this, but it gets easier.