Gratitude and recent sketches

There is a creative visualisation exercise you can do where you imagine your ideal day. You sit down and you write it out. You picture everything you do from when you get up in the morning to going to bed at night. Every little detail. I love doing this now and again. It helps to focus my energies and reminds me where I want to be. I have always liked to plan for the future. I enjoy setting goals and working out the little steps I need to take to get there.

Kids' chair

But sometimes I'm so goal-oriented that I forget to appreciate what I do have and what I've achieved so far. I become trapped in 'the future', frustrated by what I can imagine doing, but can't yet do for whatever reason. I neglect the present. I'm not mindful or grateful. I become restless.

Cafe sketch

This morning I counted my blessings. I didn't intend to. But I sat down to write in my morning pages journal and what came out was list of all that is good and beautiful in my life. All the wonderful things. Family, health, a comfortable home with chickens in the front and a golden retriever out the back. The ability to spend these early years at home with two spirited little munchkins. Slices of time - and the materials - to paint and draw. A brand new gorgeous nephew born only last week. This list goes on.

A cutting from our garden

And after I finished writing, I was overwhelmed with joy.