Today I Learned That Gratitude is Not a Daily Writing Task or Checkbox

I recently decided to add a Gratitude section to my Morning Pages — a stream-of-conscious journaling technique described in "The Artist's Way" by Julia Cameron. At first, writing about what I am grateful for felt strange. Once I got past the topics of good health, family and friends and moved through material comforts, it became harder to think of things. I've done Morning Pages on and off for years and generally never have trouble keeping the pen moving.

This morning, I was struggling to write through my gratitude. I noticed a familiarity, as I had heard - or written - some of this before. As a rule, I don't review previous morning pages; that's part of the deal. But today, I needed to see what was going on. In doing so, I noticed subtle hints of gratitude; everywhere. So, I spent a few hours reviewing past journals and found several examples of gratitude. It wasn't obvious, but the gratitude is hidden in the scribble and unrefined pros. For instance, I wrote:

"I can't wait to get back to work today; I was on vacation last week and came up with several ideas to streamline my current project."

I'm a big believer in writing to know how I'm thinking, but until now, I never considered reviewing my journals for deeper meaning. Statements like "I can't wait" seemed like gratitude to me. As an author finds an unintended theme in the first drafts, I recognized my gratitude emerging from my quiet time with a pen and paper.

Today I learned that gratitude is not a daily writing task or box to be checked off. Instead, gratitude is always on, reflecting on the things I do. As a result, I am paying more attention and am excited about what else I will find.