Days 20-21: a thankful heart

Every morning, from the moment we first open our eyes, we're faced with choices. Am I going to hit snooze (again) or get up? Should I make a "real" breakfast or just eat a bar on the road? Do I have to brush my teeth or can I just chew some minty gum? (Ok, maybe that one's just me.)

But we don't just have to choose what to do in those moments, we also have to make a decision on how we're going to feel for the rest of the day. How we're going to act. What mindset and mood we're going to be in.

One of my favorite quotes is, "how to be happy: decide every morning that you are in a good mood." I love it. It's even my Twitter bio (the true sign of an official mantra).

But that's easier said than done, right? Can we really just decide to be in a good mood? Isn't that impossible? Especially when you burnt your toast, spilled your coffee, and forgot your lunch?

For me, this decision - the one to be in a good mood - comes down to one thing: gratitude.

I believe gratitude - "the quality of being thankful; readiness to show appreciation for and to return kindness" - has the power to make any person more mindful. Any situation more positive. Any mood more happy.

My boyfriend recently told me about gratitude journaling - the practice of, either in a notebook, on your phone, or even just in your mind, listing things you're grateful for every night last thing before you go to bed. I joked the only thing I do before bed is put in my mouth guard and watch Netflix, but I've been thinking about this concept ever since.

Then, this weekend, I was reading Daring Greatly by Brene Brown. In it, she quotes another of my favorite authors, Gretchen Rubin:

Although not explicitly about gratitude, Gretchen's words we're no doubt about thankfulness and they resonated with me completely. I constanly beat myself up when I can't do perfect things in a perfect way at the perfect time. But - as Brene quotes her friend Andrea Scher on the next page - "good enough is really effin' good." And "good enough" is something to be grateful for. Rather than moping that we didn't do the four-mile run, be grateful for the twenty-minute walk! And that gratitude will change the course of your entire day.

My siblings and I were raised on Veggie Tales. While other kids were singing SpongeBob Squarepants, we memorized Silly Songs With Larry ("the part of the show where Larry comes out and sings a silly song"). As much as a TV show of singing fruits and vegetables leaves to be desired in terms of - well, so many things - I can still remember every word to so many of the songs, and I know my sisters can, too.

One of them goes like this:

"Because a thankful heart is a happy heart I'm glad for what I have, That's an easy way to start."

They may be words sung by a grape, but I believe that was one wise red-seedless. It's so, so true! A thankful heart is a happy heart. It's hard to be upset by the stitch in your side, when you decide instead to be grateful you have a body capable of running. It's hard to complain about the traffic, when you decide instead to be thankful you have a car that's working. It's hard to gripe and grumble about your messy home, when you decide instead to appreciate you have a place you're living.

So choose gratitude. And, if you're up for it, skip the Netflix (but not the mouth guard, that can stay) and before your head hits the pillow, think of 5 things you're grateful for today.

Mine? A patient boyfriend. My family's health. This safe home. Good books. And pimento grilled cheese sandwiches.