Gratitude Blog Hop

I'm so glad Sheri Larsen decided to do this Gratitude Blog Hop. After watching the video on her blog, I realized that for the most part, I'm a fairly happy and thankful person. The only part I struggle with is the exercise part--that comes in waves of commitment, but I do agree wholeheartedly that exercise is good for a happy soul.

Photo courtesy of Tristarkarate.com

I recently heard a story about a woman who decided to count the number of negative thoughts she had in a day. She'd heard a statistic that the average person thinks 1,000 negative thoughts a day and she was convinced that couldn't possibly be true. She bought herself a clicker and put this statistic to the test. In that first day, she clicked so many times that she became depressed and in a serious funk. Every time one of her kids spilled their drink, made a mess, or cried over a toy, she had a negative thought/reaction. Over the next couple of days she decided she needed to make a change. She began to click all the positive things she noticed and the positive thoughts she had. Amazingly enough, this change in her thought process caused a change in her attitude, in her reactions to her children, and the general mood in her home. Positive, happy thoughts do lead to a happier, more positive person!

So, in keeping with the Gratitude spirit, I feel I must share with you those things I am most grateful for.

I am grateful for my family. Even though they leave me piles of laundry and sinks full of dirty dishes, I can't imagine my life without them. I'm even thankful for all the chaos that comes with having five extremely loud and incredibly active boys, because without the chaos, all I'd have is a quiet, lonely house.

I'm grateful for my husband's job. Even though he works long hours at times, I'm thankful he is able to support our family so I can stay home, raise our children, and pursue my own dreams and aspirations.

I'm grateful for imagination, inspiration, creativity, art, and books.

I'm grateful for humor, smiles, and kind hearted people.

I'm grateful for beautiful sunsets that cause the world to stand still for a small moment.

I'm grateful for the sound of the ocean, the calming influence of the ebb and flow of the tide.

I'm grateful for music. I think the world would be a very dull place without it.

I'm grateful for knowledge and truth, and my own journey to find knowledge and truth (in a religious sense).

Lastly, I'm thankful for the stories that fill my mind. That beg to be told. For the characters who rattle around in my brain and fill me with thoughts and emotions. But most of all, I'm thankful to be a WRITER.

You can find all the others in this awesome Blog Hop HERE.

So, tell me, are you a positive person? How happy are you on a daily basis? What are you grateful for?