“The world breaks everyone and afterward many are strong at the broken places.” -Ernest Hemingway Everyone goes through tough times. Everyone. What distinguishes the survivors from the thrivers is not the severity of the suffering, but the ability to rise above it. Some people experience profound life losses and find themselves capable of moving forward […]
Gratitude
Gratitude For My 2013 Life
A few weekends ago, my dad and I went to Manhattan to visit the Tenement Museum. It was my first whole day away since Edwin was born, and while I was nervous to be away from him for so long, it was completely worth it. I’ve been wanting to visit this museum for a long […]
Gratitude Book #2: The Glass Castle
I first read Jeannette Walls’ memoir The Glass Castle several years ago (I reviewed it and its semi-prequel, Half Broke Horses, in one of the first Words From The Sowul posts). I still think about it a lot; I find it on my mind much more than other books I read during the same period. Beyond […]
Receiving Gratitude
On Monday we talked about 5 ways to thank others. Today, we’re going discuss something most people find a little harder: allowing others to thank you. Accepting gratitude is a bit like accepting a compliment. Most people feel a little self-doubt underneath the pleasure, as if believing they don’t quite deserve it. That’s why people […]
5 Ways To Say “Thank You”
Last week, we talked about becoming more mindful of gratitude and how gratitude can improve your life. (I also showed you a fictional role model of gratitude.) This week, we’re going to extend outward, and talk about how your thankfulness can impact others. Think about the last time someone thanked you. How did it make you […]
Gratitude Book #1: Anne of Green Gables
One of the things I’m most grateful for as an adult is my love of reading as a child. I’m only now realizing how much I learned from the main characters of my youth: stoicism and plain living from Laura Ingalls Wilder; family values and time management from the Gilbreth children; responsibility and cooperation from the […]