Gratitude Journal

One marvelous memory occurs walking down a seemingly isolated street. The mural on the wall re-emphasizes my feeling that fairy tales originated in the artistic and creative endeavors of others.The grace of the stroked images, the refinement of the created texture, the arrangement of the colors are almost incredible. Just as one can control nature to make every garden of legendary perfection, awakening the same response one has before a painting, this mural creates rules of harmony for the building which one can grasp. There is a symbolic beauty in the various colors, structures and shapes set in different positions from which to view. The simplicity which clarifies the thought, the aesthetic harmonies which evoke serenity… I was not prepared for the beauty of this forgotten street. I was not prepared for the depth of meaning… the highly evolved symbolism. I expressed my gratitude.

At times, there is a fog surrounding one’s frame of reference, a fog filled with a lack of understanding and knowledge as one begins to ascend into the colorful complexities of life. As one begins to pronounce names of people, places things… begins to ask, to want, need and desire- the beginning of the quintessence of freedom and happiness becomes present. Happiness, joy and opportunity is everywhere, in schools, restaurants, streets, shops, museums, subways, trains…

Taking time to express Gratitude, for even the most miniscule of things in the long run can be very beneficial for mental and emotional health. Dr. Phillip Muskin, professor of psychiatry at Columbia University Medical Center states, “While there is no real data-driven evidence on how gratitude affects the brain, research suggests that gratitude ‘stacks the deck’ toward health, It doesn’t have to be every minute of every day, but there are ways we can make daily decisions to be grateful.”

If you have not started already, you are warmly invited now to start a gratitude journal.“As writers, we’re prone to reflection. We contemplate and process the events in our lives through written words. Keeping a journal is a matter of instinct. For some, the idea of not having one is unthinkable. Journaling is cathartic and it’s one of life’s simple joys. This is particularly true when it comes to keeping a Gratitude Journal.”