We’re in a midst of a global pandemic and the news can really get a person down. Between the deaths, rising cases in the U.S., fighting over wearing a mask, loss of jobs and crowds not social distancing, it can be a challenge for us to see any positives in today’s situation.
Yet with any challenging situation, there’s an opportunity for growth. There’s an opportunity to see what’s wrong and create change to make things better. It may not seem so these days, but I have faith that we’ll all learn some lessons from this experience in the long run.
Learning to find what’s going right each day is an exercise in creating more appreciation and joy in your life: even during this pandemic. So, I thought I’d give a short list of some things I see and feel these days and invite you to consider making the practice of truly appreciating what is going right in your world daily. My list is by no means exhaustive. Here’s a taste of appreciation for you!
I appreciate getting up everyday. I appreciate the sun shining and the birds singing. I am so appreciative of the food in abundance in my kitchen. I appreciate the summer so I can take walks during this time. I appreciate the variety of masks I’ve gathered for my time outside my home. I appreciate the advice of the medical community during this pandemic. I also appreciate all the people who are working to keep things moving: in the hospitals, grocery stores, pharmacies and restaurants. I appreciate the creativity of places to come up with alternative ways of doing business. I appreciate Zoom and WhatsApp that help me stay connected with people near and far. I appreciate all the books available for me to read or listen to!
I appreciate my two cats who provide a lot of entertainment during this time. I also appreciate some of the movies I’ve seen on TV. I really loved seeing Hamilton recently and appreciate that it was made available for us to see. I appreciate all my Hawkeye Twitter friends, who provide an endless supply of fun and I love their cooking pictures! I can’t wait until the day when we can all get together for a tailgate and share some of them! And in this extremely hot, humid weather, I appreciate having air conditioning!
So that’s my short list for today. If the news is bringing you down, it helps to just turn it off and give yourself a rest until you can get yourself into a better state of mind. Appreciating routinely will help you do that. What and who are you appreciating today?
Appreciation Magic 