Gratitude Watch – 2009-07-18

Welcome to Gratitude Watch.

Gratitude Watch is an eye on the internet for news, articles, videos, and other items, all focusing on the subject of gratitude. For more on my intent on these postings, see About Gratitude Watch.

So … let’s rock!

•  Something Visual  •

Veoh user CapstonePublishing gives us “Gratitude & Anticipation: Make every day a good one!” — commentary by TV Psychologist Dr Gary Wood (author of Don’t Wait For Your Ship to Come In…Swim Out To Meet It) who outlines his technique for balancing gratitude and anticipation to make our lives better.

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Jo Englesson, member of my “League of Gratitude,” founder of TOFA (“Token OF Appreciation”) — and Twitter user @JoEnglesson — gives us “Giving Year Day 57 – Being in Service Day 10,” where she shows appreciation for the efforts of a man in North Las Vegas who drops off boxes of clothes to the corner where many homeless gather.

•  (The Rest of) the “League of Gratitude”  •

Brenda Arnall at It’s a New Day gives us “Going With Gratitude,” expressing thankfulness for traveling, and having traveled. Brenda also shares the latest installment of her 52 Blessings gratitude journal craft project.

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Maya, of The Gratitude Journal, gives us not just a twofer, or a three-fer, but a four-fer:

• “I Am Thankful for Passers-by Who Care,” a moment when someone passing through the neighborhood starts to help when, in reality, no help was needed.
• “I Am Thankful for Ken and a Haircut,” when the two year old mane Maya has been growing for Locks of Love goes buh-bye.
• “I Am Thankful for Unlimited Possibilities… and a World of Probabilities…” some reflections on the science of medical miracles, and a call to action to bite off more than we can chew … and chew it.
• “I Am Thankful for ‘But, if You Were Going to… What Would You Do Next?’” on a successful effort by her husband on urging a child to go on and do the impossible, successfully.

•  This is The New Stuff  •

Larry Ketchersid (Twitter user @lketchersid) at Dusk Before the Dawn gives us “The Day the Universe told us NOT to Gamble,” some gratitude for surviving three really big hints that maybe they should have been doing something else last July 11.

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Bruce Sallan at The Father Life gives us “[A Dad's Point-of-View] Gratitude,” A story of survival — and reflection — from a hair-raising moment where survival is a miracle.

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Leah (Twitter user @ArmyWifeNetwork) at Loving A Soldier Living The Life gives us “Gratitude,” a quick recounting of an encounter with an anonymous gratitude Santa Claus.

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A little rough around the edges, but an excellent message: a guest post from “The CPA” at From Single to Married, “A Little Friday Gratitude: Those who Risk their Lives — So I Don’t Have To.” A thank you to our (America’s) military and those in emergency response services, and a recognition of the burden many of them carry — Post Traumatic Stress Syndrome — because of their service.

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Arswino Sonata (Twitter user @arswino) at the Inspiration and Motivation Blog gives us “The Power of Giving & Gratitude” some excellent thoughts on using these two things to bring more good into our lives.

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Metaphysical Junkie gives us “Thinking about Gratitude and Appreciation,” some specific Law of Attraction guidance on using gratitude and appreciation.

•  Oldies but Goodies  •

Alvaro Fernandez (Twitter user @AlvaroF) at The Huffington Post gives us “How ‘Saying Thanks’ Will Make You Happier,” an interview with Dr. Robert Emmons, Professor of Psychology at UC Davis, Positive Psychologist, and, truly, a gratitude maven with the papers to prove it.

(Thanks to Christine Hohlbaum at The Power of Slow for pointing me to this article.)

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Leo Babauta (Twitter user @zen_habits) at Zen Habits gives us “Why Living a Life of Gratitude Can Make You Happy,” pointing out four reasons to focus on gratitude, five methods to help you do it, and closes with some free-verse that says it all.

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Stay tuned for the next Gratitude Watch.

• • •

If you have a substantive original posting about gratitude (please see my “About Gratitude Watch” page) feel free to email me a link through my contact page, or “tweet” me on Twitter.

© 2009, by Daniel Brenton. All Rights Reserved.

Tagged as: Alvaro Fernandez, Arswino Sonata, Brenda Arnall, Bruce Sallan, Daniel Brenton, danielbrenton.com, Dusk-Before-the-Dawn, From Single to Married, Gary Wood, grateful, Gratitude, Gratitude Watch, Inspiration and Motivation Blog, It’s a New Day, Jo Englesson, Larry-Ketchersid, Leo Babauta, Loving A Soldier Living The Life, Maya, Metaphysical Junkie, thankful, thankfulness, The Father Life, The Gratitude Journal, The Huffington Post, TOFA, Zen Habits