For the past couple of years, I’ve been really trying to focus on gratitude. My default demeanor is cranky and pessimistic, so I started making an effort to write three things I’m thankful for in my diary every morning. It got very boring until my friend Ona told me I wasn’t allowed to repeat the same things from day to day. WUT. Then it got a lot more challenging–and more fun.
Sometimes I’m grateful for a general thing, like my children’s health, or pleasant weather. But that’s hard to do without repetition. I mean, I’m sure I’ve repeated those once or twice–after two years, it’s impossible to remember every thing I’ve mentioned.
But the most fun I have is when I find something very small and specific. I’m thankful for my cat’s aggressive purr as she sits in my lap while I write. I’m thankful for the way that scene in Filthy Cowboy just flowed out of my fingertips and onto the computer screen. I’m thankful for my spouse’s support while I try to keep this book business afloat.
2020 is a hard year to be thankful for. I won’t recall all the hardship; it’s in the news every damn day, so what’s the point? But I can zero in on some of the better things if I get really specific.
I’m grateful for every single one of my readers–those who interact with me on social media, email, or elsewhere, as well as those who don’t. I’m grateful for the chance to write something different from my shifter books–I departed into alternate history/fantasy this year, and it was a blast. I’m grateful for a new desk that has space for a notebook on the side after working on something that was only as wide as my laptop for so long.
I could go on and on, because when I lift the magnifying glass to examine the small joys, I find so many more.
So, whether or not you’re celebrating Thanksgiving (or if you celebrated it in October!), I’m curious what small things you might be thankful for. Feel free to share in the comments, or shoot me a message on Facebook, Shifter Central, or via email. Or just hold it in your heart and let it be an ember of happiness, glowing quietly.
liza street 