I was brought up to believe this and sometimes find it very easy. Sometimes not so easy and it is great to have this question to reset myself to trying to be aware of it at all times.
My Mum has been a great role model as she lives a life of great physical pain but somehow always manages to act as if every moment is a gift. And she is always surprised when I say how amazing that it! She just believes and lives it so much she feels it is just natural. But as she is now 89, she has had a lot of time to learn and practice this!!

I have been so, so lucky to have experienced positive relationships in my family and now with my husband. These have all made me a better person, learning love, values, ideas, new interests and skills from them. I have, as an adult, learnt to be better at accepting offers of help rather than automatically saying “no, I’m fine”; learnt to be more spontaneous and not to have to have every second planned (although that was scary at first!) and to be more outward looking. I hope my husband has also learnt some good traits from me!!! Better together.

My first name is Sarah, very common when I was a child (there were 8 of us in my class!) but not common at all now – and I prefer being more unique rather than one of many as I was then! Mum wanted to call me Anastasia but Dad held out for Sarah after his favourite cousin. It is also a Bible name which my Mum liked about it, meaning princess. This strangely makes me feel special although I am not remotely princess-like sadly!! I fully identify with my name and would never change it, even though some people say Anastasia would have been so much more interesting! I am happy that my name can’t really be shortened but my Dad used to call me Sarie and as that was just between us, it was lovely!!!

It has to be my Mum. She has taught me wonderful values to live my life by, how to be happy and to make the most of everything. She has taught me to live my life thinking of others and serving the best I can. She has taught me how to deal cheerfully with a life wracked by physical pain and not let it be life limiting. She has taught me to find joy in everything and always to be positive. She has taught me to be independent yet know how to ask for help. I have learnt to appreciate the whole world through her -nature, change, man’s achievements…. What a special person she is.

Until an operation, I lived in pain and was lucky enough to have my mother as a role model. With the most severe case of rheumatoid arthritis her consultant had seen in 20 years, incapacitated and in constant severe pain, she remains positive and cheerful and grateful. A lot to live up to, but she shows it is possible to find joy and gratitude in the small things in life; nature, tastes, smells, conversation…; to look outside herself and find joy; to know that when the pain eases even slightly, there is huge joy; to understand pain and joy can co-exist; to accept the pain and find joy in acceptance; to have family who love her and are loved in return; to be grateful to the many professionals who help her…

water is really important to me – I could listen to the sea all day – soothing, inspiring, healing…Even the little fountain in our pond has much the same effect.
Birdsong, too – especially when they sound happy and hopeful and bring joy and the promise of something better to come.
And music. I love Taize like someone mentioned below, classical music, ballads, dance music…just about anything. There is always some music that hits the spot that’s needed at the time!
I am forever grateful I can hear and enjoy.

I walk first thing every morning and never cease to be amazed by what I see in nature – and am constantly grateful it is there and I can enjoy it. As a Christian, I am thankful to God for His creation and believe I should care for it to the best of my ability. I do what I can to reduce/reuse/recycle and to give positive things back to nature, like planting daffodils for the village, but I often feel my contribution is too small to count. Thank you to all those who have contributed and made me realise it IS worth it -and, if we all do something small, it has a BIG impact.

I have had my fair share of ups and downs but have been surprised by my resilience and, like my Mum, I do seem lucky enough to find gratitude/joy in so many things. However, my life is ridiculously busy and I have often had no time to stop, think, reflect. I read a book by someone who had spent a year exploring gratitude and found it inspiring. I meant to keep a diary myself but it never seemed to happen. Then, this year, I came across “fit mind 50” in a magazine and my mum and I decided to sign up for it – 50 new and positive things this year. So I made gratitude/reflection one of my 50 things, googled it and came up with this. What a joy it has been – not just for me but also inspiring some very deep and meaningful conversations with family.
I love reading other people’s comments and many resonate with me.
What fascinates me is that many people refer to their troubles but never in a negative way, which is something lovely to read – but I wonder – are people more willing to admit to issues here than out loud? Is that why there are so many of us referring to problems here? Or is it that people trying to lighten their burdens are more likely to take time to google and find a site like this? Why ever it is, hopefully each and everyone of you can take heart that your contributions help those of us reading them.

What an inspiring collection of reflections – for once, I think I agree with every single one and if I can use these to encourage me to do one small thing to improve what I do (rather than what I mean to do!!) everyone’s life will be better.
We had the prayer that was referred to below, by Carol, at our wedding and I do try to live by it but today’s reflections have made me stop and think about how to do it better. thank you all.
Lord, make me an instrument of your peace,
Where there is hatred, let me sow love;
Where there is injury, pardon;
Where there is doubt, faith;
Where there is despair, hope;
Where there is darkness, light;
Where there is sadness, joy;
O Divine Master,
Grant that I may not so much seek
To be consoled as to console;
To be understood as to understand;
To be loved as to love.
For it is in giving that we receive;
It is in pardoning that we are pardoned;
And it is in dying that we are born to eternal life.

So many things. Nature is perhaps the biggest -a bird, chance meeting with a deer, a beautiful plant, a carpet of snowdrops, me out in the big wide world, just me and the scenery, mountains, a lovely sunset. Sometimes music does it to me as well, especially if combined with nature – I have never forgotten driving past one of the big estates near here when Tchaikovsky’s symphony came on at the same time as the sky was totally filled with geese flying over. Definitely awe inspiring. Other life stopping memories include the first time we saw Gibraltar from a cruise ship – this improbable rock rising from the sea. cinque Terra in Italy – why ever did people decide to live on these sheer rock faces, Our cruise shop filling the entire port of Stavanger and then, in the next port, being totally dwarfed by the mountains, sitting in the hot tub on the ship with Monte Carlo wrapped round us, attending Mass in the Vatican, a “troglodyte” church in France, which was one of them most spiritual places I have been to. So many things touch me and open me to awe and, while listing them, I was trying to decide what was the defining factor – and that is something I realise I can’t answer. Perhaps it is just being ready to accept it when it happens, being aware of what is going on around, not being too caught up in life’s busyness – all I know is that there are so many wonderful things out there. We are so lucky

I thought a while and decided I always have a knee jerk reaction “I’m fine” or “you needn’t worry” so I think I agree with CraigK that “stop” should be my first action. Then “think” and then “go”. I like to help people so I must remember they probably like to help me as much as I like to help others. .It is as ungenerous not to accept help/advice/love as it is not to offer. Am I too arrogant to receive ? I must also remember my way is not the only way so, does it matter if others do things differently? The vision of the school where I work is “many gifts working together”. Receiving from others should lead to working more together in many, many different ways, and connecting with others can only be a good thing.

My Mum (89) and I have signed up to the fit mind 50 challenge – 50 new things this year. A small thing to do but it is surprisingly motivating and exciting and a lovely thing for us to share. Some of our list is the same, some not and we can share progress. My problem is trying not to do all 50 at once!! Anyway, for today, Mum is teaching me how to darn my socks (!), I am reading the new word of today from “40 words for 40 days” -lent reflections, I have been asking all my friends to recommend new authors/genres for me to try and today I start a poetry anthology…..
so much to do, so little time!!!
incidentally, this website is one of my 50 new things!