I’ve recently been trying to do “some work on myself” and think a lot about self-care. Part of what I’ve come up with from this effort is making deliberate decisions to inject a little joy in my day, which has really made a large impact on life quality. This small effort with a large payoff has made me think about how little things can make a big difference in our day, which is why we should be grateful for the little things.
I’m grateful for morning snuggles with my cat after I feed her. I’m grateful for the experience of listening to a new favorite song while I walk to the bus stop in the morning. I’m grateful that butternut squash is in season for trying in new pasta recipes. I’m grateful for how cozy sweaters feel now that there is an actual chill in the air in the mornings. I’m grateful for bath bombs and flavored lattes and seeing dogs on campus and all of the minor, inexpensive, everyday things that can make me smile when I take the time out of my day to consciously appreciate them.
Being grateful for little things does not require being unaware of the troubling climate we live in, forgetting about your academics or any of the other sources of worry that everyone has too easily available, but it does make it easier to deal with all of those things. At the end of a year like 2018, it is all too easy to only see the bleakness and sadness that seems to be everywhere, but it’s manageable to get through when you look for reasons to enjoy life.