Grateful for gratitude.

Grateful – adjective. 

Feeling or showing an appreciation of kindness; thankful.

I have been poor at being grateful and showing gratitude for people and things in my life. I believe this is something very many people have a problem with. We focus so much of our energy on buying and consuming. We don’t stop up to appreciate the things we already have, the people in our life, the effort put into us – even if it’s small and seemingly unimportant things we don’t believe concern us. We buy, use and throw out anything that’s broken or doesn’t fulfil a need for us. But we rarely stop to thank the people or things that has been there for us. 

I have started to keep a Gratitude journal over the last few weeks, and it has helped me to start and appreciate the people in my life, the things that I have in my possession and even myself. 

I have been given a different perspective regarding what I have in my life, and I have started to appreciate both the smaller things and the bigger and more important things that surround me. I started out by naming the most obvious people and things at first. I wrote up the people I live with, people who try to help me and are here for me when I’m not able to be here for myself. I wrote up my car, my cat, my phone. People and things that is important to me, but doesn’t necessarily get the thanks they deserve. 

I am going to share a few things I am grateful for with you all this week. I will take a picture a day of something in my life I am grateful for and explain a bit what it means to me, why I am grateful for it and what role it plays in my life. 

My first gratitude post will be about someone close and dear to me. His timing in showing this can be somewhat untimely at times – he likes to show me his devotion at 3 o’ clock on the morning at times. This is perhaps to be expected since he is a bit nocturnal in nature. 

He’s fluffy, he’s clumsy, he’s cozy and loves cuddles: he’s my cat: Duff. 

He’s a “Ship cat”, which often means six claws on each paw, but he only has five. @he is silly, he’s a bit clumsy and not as graceful as one perhaps would expect from a cat. But he is one of the cuddliest cats I have ever known. He loves company, scratches and attention. An idle hand is seen as. A clear indication that he is expected to find his rightful place in your lap and receive cuddles. But he’s also compassionate and will seek out my face and start purring like an old diesel locomotive if I’m in pain or down.  

I hate to admit that Duff became a bit of an afterthought for me for a while. I wasn’t able to properly take care of him (or my self for that matter) and that’s why I have decided to write about him. I am trying to give him the attention, care and love that he deserves and needs these days. I make a point out of spending time with him and tries to make sure he has as good a life as possible. 

Dear Duff. You are a very good and handsome cat, and I am deeply and truly grateful for having you in my life.