As part of the audit I’m doing with my blog I’ve been thinking about how to write more on the mindfulness aspect of it. That was one of the objectives when I created Following Seas, along with self-reflection and living intentionally. 

Mindfulness is defined as the state or quality of being mindful or aware of something. We can’t appreciate things if we’re not aware of them.

So, to be more grateful we must be more aware. Aware of all the things that make us happy, both large and small. The big things always get the attention, while we don’t think much about the small stuff.

I recently wrote a post about  Simple Pleasures, which gave me the idea for Thankful Thursday. My goal here is to recognize one thing each week that brings me joy. We generally think of these as “important things,” like people, special events, milestones, great accomplishments, and such.

Of course I’m thankful for my family and friends. I’m also thankful for continuing good health and having a job that I enjoy. But, the rule here is to choose something ordinary and nondescript. The things we don’t consider when counting our blessings. Those everyday items or occurrences that go unnoticed, but are truly valuable to us in some unremarkable way.

It’s also important to acknowledge what makes us unhappy…and why. 

I’m not setting any kind of requirements for this; no specific word count, structure, etc. Nothing is too silly or strange. It may be a picture with a couple sentences. It may be a longform essay. Regardless of the delivery, it will be something I’m grateful for and makes me smile.

I hope it inspires you to be aware of the little things that are special in your own world. And please, do share!

I believe if we look hard enough we may just see the extraordinary in the unassuming ordinary!