because we're in training to see the positive

I finished up a book lately called “Don’t Overthink It” by Anne Bogel. (I highly recommend it if you’re like me and tend to overthink, well, pretty much everything.)

In the book, she talks about the importance of interrupting our negative thinking and gives some practical strategies for how to do this. One of these is to train yourself to appreciate the positive.

It’s no secret that gratitude is the force that can pull us straight out of a negative thinking pit of self-centeredness and aim our gaze back toward both good gifts and their Giver.

But I think she’s right that we might have to train ourselves to do this. (One suggestion is even to set a reminder on your phone every day that is your cue to name things you’re grateful for.)

And so here we find ourselves in a situation unlike any we’ve ever known.

We’ve had a lot of losses.

We’re being asked to stop doing things that have been “normal.” (Imagine the happy scramble we’d see if we were all told we could go back to work like regular tomorrow.)

We’re being asked to take on roles we might never have had before. (Shoutout to all the new homeschooling parents who have forgotten how to graph parabolas!)

And we aren’t even sure when it’s over or what’s up ahead.

And so, I am making Part 1 of a list today of the positive things.

The good things that have come from this crazy quarantine life.

Here are some, in no particular order:

• reading the Chronicle of Narnia aloud with my 10-year-old

  I read The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe as an assigned book in middle school but never read the whole series. My middle kid was needing something new to read, and I thought this might be a fun thing to experience together. But we for sure needed more time than “normal” life would provide. And guess what we have now?

• playing more games

  Our family loves games. Some of our favorites are Spades (with the 2 big kids), Quixx, Code Names, and I just taught the youngest to play Monopoly Jr. He can play regular Monopoly, but fun fact: I don’t like games that go on and on. Monopoly Jr. is simpler and quicker, and this works out great for both of us.

• taking 2 walks a day

  I have always run or walked in the mornings, so that’s nothing new. But now we’ve gotten into a pattern where I walk by myself in the mornings (gotta get a podcast or 2 in), and then my hubby & I walk again together after dinner. I love this.

• not having anyone grumpy in the mornings because they had to wake up earlier than they wanted to

  My kids have never been ones to sleep in late, but school mornings were still earlier than they’d wished. And now they’ve suddenly discovered the joy of sleeping in. At least the 2 big ones. And I just let them. Thankfully they are self-motivated kids, and I trust that if they don’t start their work until later in the day, it’s still all going to get done. (Not overthinking this one.)

• completing LOTS of home projects

  We moved into our new house last summer and have had lots of things on the to-do list since then. And now lots of them are actually getting done inside and outside! It makes it easier to be cooped up in a space you love.

• extra time so that some nights we make a dinner AND a dessert

  I think this one speaks for itself. I’m sure this cancels out the aforementioned 2 walks a day. But I’m good with that. And I NEVER forget to be grateful for dessert.

I’ll come back later with Part 2 of my list. But for now, I hope you’ll start making your own list. It really did make me happier just writing all these out, and I’d love if it did the same for you!

What also makes me happy is photographing sweet families together! This one from the fall included a big-brother-to-be who was super inquisitive, energetic, and affectionate. I loved hanging out with them!

Enjoy! <3