It's the Little Things.

I think it’s become almost cliché to say that Christmas can be a difficult time of year. (I should know. I say it all the time;).

That being said, it is.

​The most wonderful time of the year is rarely that for so many people, myself included.

In preparation of facing this difficult time of year for me, I decided to force (for lack of a better word) myself to choose one thing every day that I will pause and show gratitude for throughout the month of December. (And because I’m a nerd who likes to combine words together, I’m calling it GRATI-CEMBER. For the record: I also considered DECEMB-ITUDE, but I liked the former better;).

For extra accountability, I have been sharing it on social media every day… Check it out HERE if you’re so inclined.

Spoiler alert: most days involve my family (including my dogs;) in one way or another. Oh! And there is one shout out to Dwight Shrute… because The Office is my ultimate comfort show when I simply need to watch something mindless (and hilarious).

Here’s what I know from taking on this little challenge so far:

1. Some days it’s hard to choose just one thing.
2. Some days it’s hard to choose one thing.
3. Some days it’s hard to not just choose the same thing I chose the day before (but I wanted to challenge myself to choose something different each day).
4. Some days are so simple it seems ridiculous to even share (read: The Office) and other days are a bit deeper and more complex.
5. At the root of it all, it truly is the little things that matter.

I feel it is important for me to say that this is nothing new to me. I know that I need to take more time to be present and appreciate what is right in front of me, simple or otherwise. I know that it is so important to focus on the positive and not take anything for granted. But I also know that sometimes all of that is really effing hard to do…

So my GRATI-CEMBER challenge is just a nice little reminder to myself (and anyone else who is following along) to make a conscious effort to appreciate the little things.

​Every. Single. Day. 🖤