A Smaller Take on Gratitude Journals

Most of us have, at some point, made it a goal of ours to start a gratitude practice, usually in the form of a journal. We also likely followed the same guidelines, winding down at night by writing three things we were grateful for that day. And, if you’re like me, you overthought it, wrote down the same things each day — something broad and unspecific — and became bored with the routine.

Gratitude Journals: A Smaller Take

After reading “Little Pieces of Hope: Happy-Making Things in a Difficult Word” by Todd Doughty, I was moved to have fun with my gratitude practice. You see, the author wrote a book full of some of the most tiny, yet specific things for which he was grateful. Things like “Having the remote control all to yourself,” “Mastering the eyelash curler,” and “Funny-shaped ice cubes.” Of course, I have big things in my life to be grateful for, like my health and a stable job that I love. But there are also so many things I encounter or experience every day — most of them so small and seemingly insignificant — that I am thankful for, but by waiting until the end of the day to acknowledge and appreciate them, I will likely forget them by the time I pull out my journal. 

To help with my journey to create a gratitude practice that was all my own, I’ve turned to technology, something I rarely do. Throughout my day, when something sparks joy in my heart or makes me feel grateful for experiencing it, I make a voice note right away. I say things into my phone like, “Silly socks peeking out from a business suit,” and “A piece of chocolate so decadent it made me close my eyes for a moment.” I dusted off my journal, and each night I listen to the notes I left myself throughout the day, smiling as I write them down, happy to revisit the things that brought me such joy. 

Sure, some of these things might seem silly, and perhaps in some ways they are, but on those days when it’s hard to feel grateful for much of anything, I’m especially thankful for these tiny joys that serve as big reminders that there is still happiness to be found all around me. And the more I make an effort to express my gratitude for them, the more I find them. 

Small Moments of Joy

Here are some of the small moments of joy I wrote in my gratitude journal last week, one that was especially stressful: 

• The stray cat on our street stopping in front of me to ask for belly rubs
• Customers and crew at my local market singing “Happy Birthday” to a 5-year-old girl wearing her special birthday dress
• A thunderstorm that came and went in a matter of minutes
• The driver of the car next to me listening to my favorite song from eighth grade
• A few dollars in my wallet when the ice cream truck came down our street
• Perfectly painted fingernails
• The bright citrusy smell of a perfectly ripe clementine
• Babies wearing silly sunglasses
• Five of the same cars (in the same color) being parked in a line

Tell me, what have been some of your recent little pockets of gratitude?

Discover gratitude journaling prompts to practice daily in Field Guide To Everyday Magic magazine.