The Gratitude Jar
Telling the tale of 2020
Last January — when COVID was just something happening someplace else — I started a Gratitude Jar. Every day I wrote one thing I was thankful for in 2020 and placed the slip of paper into a gorgeous purple vase. The vase is a gift from my grandchildren. It arrived in December of 2019 with lush purple orchids. The flowers were long since gone — but the vase reminded me every single day of The Magical Creatures. They are my deepest and truest blessings of all.
Enter January 2021. Last week I turned out the notes and began to read them. I had placed the date on each one, so I knew exactly when I had stopped this gratitude practice. It was February — well short of the 66 or so days required to build a new habit. I had stopped even before my 3/13 lockdown date.
And I couldn’t remember why.
Perhaps I had run out of things to be thankful for? Unlikely. In reading my notes from 2020 — I found three related to my BFF — specifically. There were other repeats — my family members, my yoga practice, and all my wonderful teachers, All. My. Friends — near & far. I could physically feel the gratitude seep into my soul for these enormous gifts.
Maybe I became stressed. Maybe I let fear lead me. Maybe I just ran out of time every day to pause and offer thanks. Maybe I just got tired of trying to be…
