Not wanting to be UNgrateful

Thankful Thursday: 

When I pause to think of something I’m thankful for…

When it’s rainy and drismal…

When those glorious leaves are being stripped from the trees.

When nothing great or exciting is at the forefront of my mind to be giddy about…

Yes, then I pause.

Because I want to cultivate the practice of gratitude.

I choose to notice - and even search if necessary.

Yes, I’m thankful for a cozy house. And for an un-busy schedule so I don’t have to be out and about nor bother with an umbrella or sensible footwear.  I’m thankful to be safe and comfortable in my own house.

But then I think of so many who are not.

And then my heart hurts and my eyes drip.

I wonder why I am so fortunate.

So blessed.

I wonder how I can bless others.

How can I make a difference in a world of violence and oppression and injustice?

It feels weird… petty… insensitive… to regale the things for which I am thankful when those things are unavailable to so many across the globe.  

But then again, to NOT be grateful for my blessings would be so… ungrateful.

Like a spoiled selfish child. 

Such an ingrate.

So I keep reminding myself to notice…

• Blessings
• Flickers of hope
• Ideas for how to help others
• People who make a difference

Thankful Thursday: feeling good

Thankful Thursday: Today I'm thankful that I feel good.  Like when you don't feel so great for a few days, and then start feeling like yourself again.  And it just feels SO good to feel good again.

My sickness wasn't terrible.  (I feel thankful for that, too!). I just didn't feel great - and I may have grumbled about it a bit.   But today I'm feeling nearly back to normal. And yes, it feels so good to feel good again! I am definitely thankful!

I am ALSO thankful for colorful flowers still blooming in late October in my neighborhood. Kudos to those who did the planning and the planting months ago.

Coming soon: NaNoWriMo

So what in the world is NaNoWriMo?

You may have heard writers talk about it - maybe even just calling it NaNo.

NaNoWriMo stands for National Novel Writing Month, a thirty-day challenge to write 50,000 words during the month of November.  NaNoWriMo began in 1999 with 21 participants and has grown to over half a million on six continents.

As the name implies, it began with that first group of people encouraging each other to write a novel in November, but some of the current half-million people write non-fiction and are affectionately referred to as NaNo rebels.

I stumbled upon NaNoWriMo in 2010 and have been participating every year since.  That first couple years I tried to write a novel - or at least tried to pretend that’s what it was - but have since discovered that I’m just a NaNo rebel.  I have now completed the challenge 13 times.  I have even published two of those projects.

I started out with one basic goal really - simply to make the word count of 2000 words every day - and I learned SO MUCH in the process.  Participating in NaNo has been instrumental in helping me build a consistent writing habit and has taught me many things about myself.

NaNoWriMo has evolved into a very cool movement with lots of fun stuff.  I’ve always loved the hype created with charts and graphs and writing buddies. More recently they have added merch and swag - from coffee mugs and posters to shirts and puzzles and even books.

It’s not too late to join the NaNo challenge. In fact, why don't you go to the NaNo site and sign up - so you can get in and see all the cool stuff.  

Or if it really feels too big for this year, maybe at least get your feet wet by trying out some alternatives.  But don’t give up too quickly; okay?

NaNo, NaNo!