Let’s make today’s Faceless Friday a lesson in gratitude, after all it is Faceless Friday 101.  Here are some ideas on how to be grateful when all you really want to do is curl up in your bed and watch the stupidest stuff you can on Netflix.

Get Creative.  When life is throwing lemons, slush, mud, and whatever else it can find, you have to get creative about gratitude… because let’s be honest, when life feels like a shit storm you really don’t want to be all “I love life” or whatever. When I am in one of those moods, or having that sort of day, I start small… “I am grateful that I have ice cubes to cool this drink down, I am grateful I have a glass to put this drink in, I am grateful I have something to drink” and so on.  The point is that seeing what you have to be grateful for really does make life a bit more tolerable, and being able to be grateful for the small things in your life typically leads to gratitude for the larger things… like breathing.

Remember what you have been grateful for in the past.  Sometimes reminding yourself of the gratitude you have felt in the past can help you see what to be grateful for in the present.  For example: Remember how you were grateful last week that you heard that awesome song at the perfect time? Nothing wrong with still being grateful for that.

Look at how far you have come.  So, you are having a shitty day, but remember when that horrible thing happened in high school and you still were able to live through it in order to have the shitty day you are having today? Yep. That is something to be grateful for, because chances are what you are facing today isn’t as hard as what you faced in the past, especially since you didn’t have the mind power and fortitude you have today… You’ve come a long way baby, and that is something to be grateful for.

Think of your fans.  Yes, you have fans, even if you don’t feel like it… there is someone out there that is cheering you on and wants you to be happy, even if for one powerful grateful moment. What is something that they would say about you?  The people that really adore you and support you, have seen all of your flaws and love you even more for it?  Even if you are unable to be grateful in the moment for what they see, at least you can be grateful that there are people that do see those things.

And when all else fails, make a short list. Here is mine for the week:

Coffee, creamer, music, fabric, good body wash, a nose ring that is finally healing, new tattoos, allergy medicine that is actually working (halleluiah), spell check so I can write halleluiah, two furry little beasts that love me, being able to walk, having shoes to walk in, things turning green outside, being able to go outside, plotting a garden, food to eat, grilled asparagus, friends to talk to, a home to live in, The Fixer and is amazing everything (he’s seriously a big deal), being a complete brat sometimes and still having people love me, my family, and you dear Craughers. Forever and always. Thank you.