Thank You for This Day

I took this writing workshop once and the leader, the divine Ellen Bass, gave us this tip on how to give each other feedback.  She said, “What we’ll do here is we’ll appreciate what there is to be appreciated.”  And the more specific our appreciations, the better.  

So like, instead of, “That was so wonderful!”  We’d say something like, “I love how you described her dress as tatty.”  Or, “You had me totally hooked when you said the sky was  blue with fluffy white clouds ....”

So I’ve found this appreciating what there is to appreciate and getting specific about it practice works for real life too.  

Like when I wake up, I have a practice of saying, “Thank you for this day.”  And that’s a good little habit that keeps me from my old default wake up day greeting of, “How the hell am I gonna get through this day?” Or, “Why is it morning already?” Or, “Fuck I have to get up.”  Like that.

So yes, “Thank you for this day.” Is easy enough to think to myself before rolling out and doing.  And it helps.  And getting specific helps too.  

“Thank you for this soft sofa.  Thank you for my nice cat here on my lap.  Thank you for my family.  My home.  My life.  Thank you for the grey sky and the dark silhouetted trees I see outside. Thank you for this day.  Thank you.”  I’m gonna keep going.

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