I am very fortunate to have a husband who works for a stable company that offers fairly decent health benefits. I know several people who are not so lucky right now, and that makes me all the more grateful for what we have.
One of the new benefits this year includes several different incentives to increase exercise and nutrition. Last fall we had the opportunity to take part in a contest geared toward getting each person moving for 30 minutes or 10,000 steps a day. That one was pretty cool.
Now we have a program that allows us to record our exercise and nutrition stats as well as creating a personal statement, recording if you keep a daily journal and/or have daily prayer or meditation. There is a section for making connections, using structured planning, tracking volunteering, and recording whether or not you were grateful for something each day. There is a lot to check off, even if you got 7-9 hours of sleep a night.
It has been interesting to think about how this has changed me. For one thing, I am blogging again. It may not be a personal journal, but I am recording lots of stuff that is tumbling around in my brain. I even have a list of things that I still want to write about. I have really missed the outlet.
I am also working hard on the gratitude aspect. I have found that it is not any harder to take a few seconds and thank the bagger at the grocery store with a smile than it took just to say "Thanks." I thought that I had been doing a good job of being grateful, but I think I was missing the mark. In the past few weeks, I have made connections with all kinds of people. It has been really interesting.
I am finding that I am truly grateful for all kinds of things that people do for me. I used to pass the reaction off as "it is just their job." Not so any more. Yes, those people are getting paychecks for helping me, but often they are doing things that I do not know how to do. The desk clerks at the YMCA know how to register my children for summer camp. I don't. And that is just one example.
It is unfortunate that it took a special incentive program to open my eyes, but I am grateful even for that.
2 comments:
You really do have such a lovely outlook on life.
Stephanie, is the tracking done on line or is there something written? I would love to see it if so. I think you and I are on somewhat the same journey....
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