One of my kids is really good at noticing when other people get to do fun things.
They are less good at noticing when they get to do fun things.
In those moments, I remind them to find their “grateful heart instead of a greedy heart.”
As with so many other things in parenthood, I have found this to be a helpful refrain for myself as well as for my small people. With the upcoming holidays, it can be difficult for me to maintain a posture of gratitude for a lot of reasons – we’re over-scheduled, over-tired, and over it. So as someone who does not have it figured out, I thought we could share some ways to keep our hearts grateful in this season of sugar, gifts, budget busting, and travel.
-Social media time limit – I’ve started using a social media timer on my phone and it’s been really helpful in helping me to regulate how I use my in between moments and time at night. Where we spend our time does a lot for our mind and (not to get too cheesy here but) our hearts, at least it does for me. It also forces me to fill my time in other (better) ways like reading or I don’t know, actually talking to the people around me.
-Choose what matters for you – Decide on 2 or 3 things that really matter to you about the holidays and use your time/energy/financial resources on making these things happen, while you let the other stuff go. Maybe this just isn’t your season to make it to every single class party/choir performance while you are planning a cross-country road trip to see family. Maybe apple picking is your actual jam, but sending out cards may not happen till 2020 (or at all). That’s fine! Do what is important for your family this season and let the other things go.
-Document – Find a way to track what’s happening so you can see and remember all the good things you already have in your life. Apps like Tiny Beans or Google Photos make it easy to store pictures and include captions. You could keep a list of things you are grateful for (Ann Voskamp style) or write it all out in an “old school” journal. I use a Line a Day Journal, something I used daily for years pre-kids and have only now just picked back up after a long hiatus.
During the last (crazy) few weeks of the year, let’s be proactive in how we (in the words of one of my favorite internet follows, Rachel Kincaid), “Get After Grateful.”
