A-Z Gratitude Lists
Today I am grateful for writing time this weekend, different ways of connecting with our two grandsons, and the growing daylight of late January.
An A-Z gratitude list is one of the grateful living practices I have used for many years. I used to do it more regularly on my commute to work, or on a walk or run. I have written numerous ones, and encouraged others to do the same, providing them a blank template.
Then, I expanded it as a way to connect with others–such as doing a list back and forth on texts with a couple of recovery friends. More recently, my husband Darcy and I did one together as a way to reflect on 2022 and gear up for 2023.
On my previous blog, Habitual Gratitude, I also did several A-Z lists with various themes. Some were totally random, one was about favorite songs and musicians, another was centered on recovery from alcoholism. Each gave me a focus for a few weeks, rather than my usual random approach. Check out one of those posts here.
The last A-Z list I did on Habitual Gratitude was Challenges as Catalysts: A New A-Z List which I began in November 2019. I describe it here:
“I am embarking on a different kind of A-Z gratitude list in the coming weeks here on "Habitual Gratitude." I will be moving through the alphabet of challenges and catalysts that have been a part of my life and the lives of people I care about and who care about me. I will bring the genuine and heartfelt honesty I strive to bring to all my posts. It is my story through my perspective. It is the growth and transformation I have gained and continue to gain.”
As my personal transformation has deepened through my grateful living the last 28 years, so have my A-Z lists.
I am embarking on my first A-Z list here on “A Late Bloomer Living Gratefully” in my upcoming posts.
Like so many grateful living, and overall wellness, habits, an A-Z gratitude list can be whatever you want it to be. Even if I don’t make it all the way through the alphabet, each time I do a list it helps me come back to a better perspective, slows me down, often brings a smile, pulls me out of a racing mind and sets me back down more gently into the current moments.
Try a list of your own. Write it. Say it. Dance it or walk it. Pick a theme of places or food or people, or just do whatever comes to mind. Like all grateful living practices, the purpose is to become aware of the present moment and spacious generosity right here, right now. The specifics of the practice and focus are up to you. Action is key. Pauses are essential. Onward!
