Why keep a Gratitude Journal at all? (This is the saaaaaame intro for every Gratitude Journal entry. It’s here for the newbies to the journey.)
I try to start everyday with a Grateful heart. *duck face* Potna, I ain’t lying. You can check my IG accounts Queen/King. I get a lil raunchy on the Multiple_Sclerosis_Outlaw but I’m calmer, gentle with allthingsonelove. On both, I start my day sharing Gratitudes, stories of Gratitude and anything related to being Grateful. I’m dead ass serious about my Gratitudes because it keeps me present and accountable for my own energy. I recognize and appreciate the actions, words and energy of others intending me good. By starting my day with Gratitude, I have less MS pain, MS symptoms and MS depression because I’m actively pushing my thoughts towards in a positive direction of Gratitude. My relationships with others are stronger because my Grateful ass notices what others do for me, to me, WITH me. *bows* I could go on and on and on and on about the benefits of being purposefully grateful buuuuuut… *whispers* Pssst, you know I wrote about it…
link to How I Know Gratitude Works!
Why I chose THIS to start my day…
I have ben off for awhile with my stomach. This isn’t the first time, it isn’t the last. I probably knocked myself into plumbing issues with diet. Lately, I haven’t been eating enough veggies. I’m not just trash eating buuuuuut… I sure haven’t been as on point as I usually am. The culprit? Me. I haven’t down a good job of balancing the new gig with my daily schedule and routines. I’m skipping lunch (unless my wife makes it for me I don’t eat). I’m too exhausted to stand there and put together my famous Anti-Inflammatory Salad. I haven’t been using sage when I meditate because my family complains about the smell. (I use blue, white or black.) I haven’t been jamming music because I’m at “work” all day and then jumping into the online businesses immediately after. I’m moving so fast that I never even think about turning the music on! What I’m describing is a lack of self-care, lack of healing. I’ve been grinding and keeping my thoughts in check but neglecting everything else and it’s showing. *curls top lip* Well, when you know better, do better. I am now aware of my negligence and will start addressing by setting my attitude about healing.
Now, bout dem Gratitudes
3.) Peanuts/Almonds/Cashews come in at 3 because of their healthy affiliation with MS relief. Dawg. I crunch on nuts like kids do hot chips and takis. When we’re out moving around, hitting the town, getting to the low down? I keep a little bag of nuts with me. One of my kids has an allergy to nuts but we keep some in this house just for my #sickAF ass. Nuts are high in vitamin B and act as a natural anti-inflammatory. That’s big for MS because the autoimmune disease causes heavy inflammation on a daily basis. Today’ I was moaning about needing some breakfast, I skipped dinner. My wife tossed me the bag of mixed nuts and some trail mix bars. “I was wondering if you knew they were here.” I felt a lil, bit better as soon I opened it and the waves of smell filled my tummy. I was almost like the cartoons where the smell carries the characters off the screen! Couple handful of nuts, suddenly nothing seemed so dire and damn essential. My patience extended just a lil more and I dove into my day.
2.) Today is the MS Zoom Meeting and I have been waiting on this for a solid TWO weeks. The MS Zoom Meeting is just that, a Zoom meeting set up by an MS’er, for MS’ers and inviting anyone with a chronic illness to participate and share. It is the ONLY time that I feel comfortable talking about my illness, symptoms, fears, management, successes and failures. The first time, I even met a King, with MS, that ended up being an IG homie! Since then, I stayed in contact with a few people in the group; 6NOTHING compares to just chilling on Zoom, seeing other like you, hearing others like you, celebrating others like you.
1.) The BIGGEST S/O to my youngest daughter, Wisdom! Wow. See, what had happened was she somehow, some kind of way got a freaking nail stuck in her finger. It was bent into an ugly hook shape and neither she, nor her siblings, could pull it out. *Home Alone face* She wasn’t screaming or even crying. At some point, I heard the ruckus outside my bedroom door and paused on my job to see what all the fuss was about. Imagine my look of shock when I discovered there was a damn “hooked nail” lodged in her finger! From there, we resolved everything and got her fixed up. She stood at different positions and did her best to keep quiet while I pulled it from different angles. Nothing was working and her fear/terror/pain was rising with each of my miscues. Finally, her tolerance peaked just when I found the correct angle on my 8th or 9th attempt. I tugged and silently prayed that it would pop and it did. GEEEEEEEZZZZZZZUS! She was so happy and relieved that she hugged and thanked ME for being patient and not afraid to help. ME?! I ain’t do nothing but I sho accepted her affirmation. *winks*