21 Day Salute – World Gratitude Day
Did you know? World Gratitude Day is being celebrated on September 21. I didn’t but, in the spirit of promoting gratitude as a much deeper, much more profound something than a one-day quick-fix or passing sentiment, I am sharing my 21 Day Salute to Gratitude.
Building habits takes time. Building a calendar that helps you get to the BHAG’s and dreams of your future best takes intentional effort. I recommend using paper. A pen. A paper calendar. A morning coffee. A quiet office. And an openness to serendipity and possibilities. Is there any other way?
With Gratitude for the coming wedding of our daughter, sprinkled with family birthdays and the knowledge that Canadians are 21 days away from the essential season of Thanksgiving, the timing is perfect.
After this next 21 days, we will be entering the season of gifts and celebrations and connecting with others and lots of receiving – if you care to pay attention. Try sitting down with your own pen and paper. Poke around and think about your many reasons to be joyful.
The benefits of reflecting on life’s goodness by keeping a handwritten journal are immeasurable and yours to explore for yourself. Start with some levity and joy… and think about your own reasons for 21 Days of grateful salutations. After that? It will be time to get ready for Christmas!
| Day # | 2022 | Great-fullness for… |
| 1 | Sept. 20 | My niece’s birthday and memories of cakes and candles. Twenty-one days til Thanksgiving. Zoom chat with wordsmith who will help with website. |
| 2 | Sept. 21 | World Gratitude Day – looking ahead and getting ready for Son #1’s minor surgery in Calgary – grateful for advances in medicine. |
| 3 | Sept. 22 | Zoom chat with book designer – getting ready to dream my next dream into reality. Shape? Timeline? Budget? Starting to begin again. Or just keep going? |
| 4 | Sept. 23 | Two birthdays to celebrate – Erwin, my hubby and Evia our first born grand daughter. Also plan to attend a memorial service for a friend’s Nonna. And get a hair cut. Grief, gratitude and the basics – lucky to have a pendulum that keeps swinging. |
| 5 | Sept. 24 | Zoom chat with editor – more questions to formulate and resolve. Happy to have good people to talk to. Create some space to think things through – thank heavens for my journal! Can I get out in my Campervan for one more jaunt? |
| 6 | Sept. 25 | Her name is Rita – a 2002 Rialta campervan. Not perfect – but pretty serviceable. Dream of waking up at the campsite. Propane stove works, water has boiled, Aeropress coffee steaming in a cup. Sitting beside some calm piece of water… ahhh. Dream or reality? Gearing up for family gatherings, meals and celebrations. WEDDING WEEK! |
| 7 | Sept. 26 | Go time. Bake cookies. Steam chair covers. Clean bathrooms and bedrooms. Domestics, zen meditations and musings. Hope my manicure holds. Life is rich. Challenges are practical. Everything is meaningful. |
| 8 | Sept. 27 | A massage! Goal: More mobility and flexibility in all parts – especially shoulders and neck. Stretching daily – feels like a stretch goal. Grateful for my goofy sense of humour. |
| 9 | Sept. 28 | Extended family arrive from out of town. House will be bulging. Doors will be swinging. Notes to self: Plan meals ahead. Stay calm. Drink water. Let it flow. |
| 10 | Sept. 29 | Food. Family. Friends. Roll with the rhythm. Sound track – Van Morrison? Moon dance. Elton John? Tiny Dancer. Fleetwood Mac? Landslide. Dire Straits? Sultans of swing… |
| 11 | Sept. 30 | Travel day. Arrive at wedding venue. Pack up. Check lists. Settle in. Unpack. Pay attention. Family barbecues. Cookies for 120 pax – orange sweater. Proud mama’s love on display. |
| 12 | Oct. 1 | Wedding Day for Heidi and Keith. Notes to self: Breathe. Go for a walk. Stretch. Pack a hanky in the handbag. Feeling calm? Do your best – and keep breathing. |
| 13 | Oct. 2 | Sigh. Savour. Sink. Bob along. Gently drift a bit. Walk by the river. Pack up. Drive and relocate back home. |
| 14 | Oct. 3 | Shift gears. Transition to focus on wedding in April 2023. Sift. Wallow with the williwaws. Winds of change. Dinner celebrating family, beginnings, endings. Milestones. |
| 15 | Oct. 4 | Two sisters and their hubbies in our home. Dynamic family with our own hexagon of dynamics. Doing it. Letting go. Paying attention. Getting ready to be done. |
| 16 | Oct. 5 | Final Zoom call with Gratitude Trifecta #1 participants. So excited for this transformative moment. Expecting it will touch each of the five of us differently. Write. Appreciate. Recalibrate. In a word? Grateful. Next word? Humble. More words? Anticipation and resolution. |
| 17 | Oct. 6 | Process. Savour. Expect feelings of exhaustion. Transition from before to after the wedding – call a friend. Go for a walk. Narrow focus to meals for Thanksgiving 2022. |
| 18 | Oct. 7 | Head to Calgary for minor eye surgery. Grateful for advances in medicine – again. And again. Thank you, Universe. |
| 19 | Oct. 8 | Thanksgiving Saturday. Pause. Spend time in Nature. Stop. Look. Listen. Think restorative thoughts. Savour the flavours of seasons changing. |
| 20 | Oct. 9 | Celebrate Thanksgiving! Son #2 – born 37 years ago! My neighbour said in 1985, “Thanksgiving will never be the same again.” She was right. Profound gratitude for Betty – one of the sweetest neighbours ever. Oh – and for our blue-eyed baby Matthew, now grown. And, and, and… in 10 days, we will celebrate Philip’s birthday and speaking of sweet neighbours… |
| 21 | Oct. 10 | Thanksgiving Monday – time in my office. Website updates should be ready for review. Time to get writing and mobilizing. More dreams to weave and more words to organize into thoughts, shapes and hopes for the future. |
| 22 | Oct. 11 | Day 22. Or Day 1 of next 21? Ready. Set. Keep going. Journal-on. Appreciate. Recalibrate. Gains. Losses. Loves. Fears. Yep – life is rich. |
