You have good news for you

Not to be a downer or anything, but not only is it raining and cloudy (here)…

Not only did the ear-splitting thunder rob many of us of precious sleep last night (here) …

Not only is it Monday …

It’s also the first day of autumn, and from now until the end of December, the daylight hours will be brief and fleeting. The nights will be long and cold.



BUT there is a reason to be happy.

It’s up to you to decide what that reason is.

Oprah Winfrey often talks about the importance to keeping a gratitude journal on her show. The idea behind the journal is to spend time at the end of the day reflecting on the blessings in your life – perhaps ones that occurred or mattered most that day – for which you are grateful.

I figured it might be a good thing to try on a soggy, Monday, first-day-of-autumn, especial since I feel so lethargic.

So, besides the obvious family and friends, here are the five things for which I’m grateful today.

1. Football season. It makes the coming cold so much easier to bear.

2. My dog. No matter how many times I kick Bruizer out of bed, he’s still loyal.

3. Love-Hate relationships. Like the ones I have with food and my elliptical. They kind of balance each other out.

4. Golf carts. They make the frustration of the game worthwhile.

5. Writing. Escaping into someone else’s world to tell a story is the best form of therapy around.

Wow, that third and fourth one just came out of nowhere, but I think that’s the point – to appreciate the things we don’t otherwise think about.

So you try it. What random blessings are you grateful for? French toast? Coffee? Sidewalk chalk? The smell of fresh-cut grass?

Anything goes.