Gratitude vs. Grateful – the first is an action, the second is a feeling. I was recently reminded of the difference and the importance of acknowledging this. The more you can develop the practice of gratitude the more grateful you will feel. Besides feeling grateful, this practice has multiple health benefits including better sleep and improved immune systems. We have all heard about the practice of keeping a gratitude journal, but if you find yourself with a day where you think you just can’t possibly find one thing to write in that journal, here is a trick I heard about that I thought was pretty brilliant. Start with the ABC’s. That’s right – just start at A and go all the way to Z and see if you don’t start to feel a little better. It might start out sounding pretty elementary at first – like this, “A – I am grateful for apples, they are a healthy food, B – I am grateful for bed, a sign I need more sleep, C – cats, I am grateful for my cats, they can be pretty comforting at times…F – family and friends, I do have those who love me and support me…” and so on. Actually, just getting that far I am already thinking of what I can be grateful for next. To find more information about the practice of gratitude here is a website I liked, my.happify.com. I wish you a life filled with gratitude.

a hui hou…