Daily Prompts

Gratitude Journal – Prompt #1

/ Luanne Shernisky / 4 Comments
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Photo credit: Ilya Mazurkevich/StockSnap.io

In an effort to finally begin that gratitude journal I’ve been thinking about, I’m utilizing the 30 prompts from my post of  September 4th – 30 Reasons To Smile Again.

30 Days of Gratitude

I found this great tool & visual on Pinterest; it comes from TextMyJournal.com (thank you!) What I like about these prompts are the simplicity of the content. Forget about big bank accounts, fancy job titles, and luxury automobiles. My bank account consistently adheres to the “less is more” philosophy, I have no job title (currently unemployed) and my two cars boast a total of 33 years between them…Bada-boom!

Is the glass half empty or half full? Well, it all depends on perspective. I’m in good health and the battles that I and my people are fighting are pretty average stuff. I’m thinking half full when you consider all the things that can go wrong.

These prompts get us thinking about the stuff we don’t think about. You know…all those little things that we take for granted, like our health, our five senses, family/friends, etc.

gratitude-journal

So…in the spirit of becoming more aware of my many blessings, I begin my Gratitude Journal.

This concept ties in with mindfulness, which is something I’ll be studying and sharing in future posts. Mindfulness is another word for awareness, which helps us to be grateful for what we have!

Day #1 – What smell are you grateful for today?

My answer to this question today is the aroma of morning coffee.

It’s usually the first smell I encounter in the morning and knowing the Keurig awaits is all the incentive I need to get out of bed. 

What is it about a simple cup of Joe that gets coffee lovers moving in the morning? One estimate says 83% of Americans drink coffee everyday. Is it the bold taste of the beans or the caffeine rush? Is it the heady aroma that tantalizes our olfactory nerves?

I believe it’s a Greek combo plate of all those things, as well as the ritual itself. Humans are known to be creatures of habit. I believe our habits or rituals give us a sense of security. They provide structure to our schedules and meaning to our everyday lives. I believe that making coffee in the morning is a crucial element to starting my day. 

smell-coffee

Anyway…I’m grateful for the delightful aroma of my morning coffee as I contemplate the upcoming day and all my life’s blessings (including all my friends from the blogosphere!)

Are you ready to begin a Gratitude Journal? Join me for 30 days of smiles!!  🙂

Carpe diem!

 

Echoes of My Neighborhood

/ Luanne Shernisky / 13 Comments

Echoes_May26

Poolside

Banyan Tree

Echoes of My Neighborhood

Blogging From A to Z Challenge – Z

/ Luanne Shernisky / 1 Comment

zygote 2             Zygote

Life is a whim of several billion cells to be you for a while. ~ Author Unknown

“Z” is for zygote, as in the union of two separate cells, which form one.

A zygote (from Greek ζυγωτός zygōtos “joined” or “yoked”, from ζυγοῦν zygoun “to join” or “to yoke”), is a eukaryotic cell formed by a fertilization event between two gametes. The zygote’s genome is a combination of the DNA in each gamete, and contains all of the genetic information necessary to form a new individual. (Courtesy of wikipedia.org)

Ironically, for the final letter in our A to Z Challenge, I’ve chosen something that denotes a beginning!

The zygote is created when the female gamete (ovum) joins with the male gamete (sperm) during fertilization. This process is the same for plants, animals and humans. 

It never fails to amaze me that a tiny cell, like those pictured above, can grow into the engineering masterpiece that the human body is – and all in nine short months!

Two of the most interesting and informative classes I ever took in college were Human Anatomy and Physiology. I came away with an entirely new respect for how so many different parts, that perform vastly different tasks, all function in complete symbiosis!

Now, if we could only get the finished human products to work together with this same level of synergy and collaboration. We could pool a vast amount of intellect and creativity for the good of the planet…just imagine the possibilities!!