We’ve been hearing a lot lately, about the virtues of ‘gratitude lists’, and acknowledging all the things we have to be thankful for.
In principle, this idea has all the makings of an effective antidote to the woe-is-me-syndrome that we’re all probably guilty of, to some extent at least.
That said, gratitude lists are not necessarily for everyone, all the time.
Yes, recognising our blessings can go a long way towards improving our perspective, BUT... it does precious little to quell the sheer monotony that is keeping our mood firmly grounded at the moment.
The lack of variety is tiring, sending many of us into auto pilot mode, with each day merging into the next in scary succession.
For this reason, what our mindset perhaps needs more than an itinerary of blessings, is a reminder of the daily nuances of newness... documented in list form.
What has been different about today, from yesterday?
It might be drinking your morning tea in a different room, walking a new route, trying a different brand of coffee, working in the lounge instead of the kitchen...or styling a down do instead of a messy bun!
Often, just consciously reminding ourselves that ‘same same’ can still be still different, even if it’s in the most incremental ways, can lend an element of sense-making to this Groundhog Day cycle!
It’s not that these differences are worth writing home about, nor that the effects are particularly transformational.
Rather, it is that they are a welcome nod to the ‘rule of impermanence’ - the theory that nothing stays the same - and the very same idea that we’re currently pinning ALL our hopes on, for better and brighter days ahead.