Depends what or who I am expressing gratitude to. A person? With a smile, a thank you, a hug, sincerity in my words and actions. A place? With an inner thanks and smile in my heart, and by feeling it.

By respecting it and all that exists within it, and treating all such accordingly.

I am not good at opening my heart to anyone, though i try to. Today i took a moment to do so to my baby sister, we both needed it and although it may have only been a moment, it meant so much. I do wish that i could open up more but when i am meant to be the family rock i find it hard.

My kindness and time.

I would do more for me, focus on me and take time for me. That of course would involve family and friends but for once I would do things on my terms not on everyone else’s. My affairs and belongings are already dealt with so I can do what I love without feeling guilty about it.

My Grandfather. I never met him yet I feel like I have met him, his history helps make me who I am. It is the 50th anniversary of his passing tomorrow and we are getting together as a family to lay a wreath. I hope he knows he has helped me by being in my blood and my thoughts and my knowledge and I hope he can see what he means to me, despite not meeting.

It gives me targets, goals and objectives to aim for and by doing that my life is enriched just by me trying, Trying was so very difficult for me last year at times, so being able to try and achieve something I long for is giving me back my strength and stability.

Where I live inspires me, even typing this, if I look up from my keyboard I am blessed with a view to inspire, I am so very lucky and grateful for where I live.

Everyone who I have know to pass has given me a reason to reflect upon their passing, upon how grateful I am for the time I shared with them and what they taught me, showed me or gave me, even if I didn’t know it at the time. I think it is a natural response, for me anyway.

By communicating to others what happened in a meeting last night, by sharing the information in order to help each other where we can.

Today I went for a walk in the woods, just being in nature and giving myself more time calms me inside and out and I find that in itself helps me to become more tender to others.

Trust has turned out to be an important quality for me. A friend will not divulge what you tell them to anyone else if you ask them not to. I have been let down in the past and that still hurts me today, thinking about it. I have 2 friends I can truly trust and for that I am grateful, I am lucky.

Why does gratefulness need to be expressed in an outrageous way at all? If you express gratefulness in the first place then that is more than some may do. Be it outwardly or inwardly I do not feel the need to be outrageous with my gratitude, being outrageous is not in my nature.

The first thing that came to mind is that I do not have a role model, but then I looked at the question again and what brings me contentment is the world itself. The life I have and everyone in it gives me a sense of contentment. So for me it is where rather than who and then more time spend in the world of where I live the more content I feel. I aspire to pass this contentment onto others.

I might be able to ‘read’ a situation that little bit better which will allow me to react or not react as is needed.

I want to learn to write, I have started a writing course this year and am embracing the challenge. I have needed, for a long time, to learn to focus more on me and to work on myself and spend time on myself. This is hard as I focus so much on others. But one thing I did learn last year is that if I am not OK then I will not be OK for others, so it is about learning how to balance life, and that is an ongoing lesson..

I am so lucky to have moved to somewhere where nature is much more prevalent, and I love that. I am blessed with woodlands, heath land, sea, beach, lakes, birds, reptiles, mammals of all sorts on my doorstep. It inspires me more than i knew it could and for that I am so very grateful. Nature has a habit of making me feel free and safe and out of this world that can be so difficult and sad.

I do not have any heroes but there are plenty of people who inspire me and I do not need to look far to find them, and for that I am so very grateful.