Welcome to Debbie-Dabble Blog!!
And not only that, it is January!!!!
Now, where is the Snow???
I know some of you have had snow but there is no Snow here in NEPA!!!!
And I do love Snow!!!!
I LOVED this saying that I found.....
So are you ready to take Flight into a New Year???
I definitely am....
My One Little Word for last year was GRATITUDE....
Read about it HERE....
And with this Pandemic still raging, I think more people need to express GRATITUDE for ALL that they still have and not dwell on what they lost....
Like the change of a lifestyle, a job, planned vacations, or for many who think they are losing their rights, for God's sake...
There are many out there who lost beloved family and friends....
Have GRATITUDE if you are not among those ...
Have GRATITUDE for all those in your life who you love and love you who are still here!!
Since I truly do not see an end to this Pandemic in the next few years, it is time to stop living the same year over and over again!!!
It is time to learn to deal with this Pandemic and pick up and start living your BEST LIFE instead of waiting for this all to end because viruses NEVER go away!!
We just learn how to deal with them, prevent ourselves from contracting them and treat ourselves so we do not get deathly ill!!
And move on with the task of living!!
I believe it is time to adjust the way we are living, not waiting for things to go back to NORMAL....
WHAT exactly was "normal" anyway?
I think a lot of good has come out of this Pandemic...
A lot of innovation, creativity and promise....
Many invented new ways to do things, changing the old ways for the better in a lot of cases...
Many new products were invented as they say Necessity is the Mother of Invention.....
National parks and State parks has seen the greatest upsurge in interest that they have seen in decades....
People are investing in their homes, making them their Havens and Sanctuaries instead of just a place to lay their weary heads at night...
People have discovered the importance of having friends and family and not to take them for granted...
So this year, it is time to stop complaining about the Pandemic, change your mindset and live the BEST Life you can under any circumstances....
And yes, it may feel different and not "normal" but make the BEST of it!!!
Truthfully, I fully intended to keep GRATITUDE as my One Little Word for 2022...
Until I saw Leanne's post over at Cresting the Hill!!!
Click HERE to read it
I thought "How Fun!"
And I truly do need a little Fun in my life!!
She chose "Fabulous" as her Word of the Year....
Can you imagine answering "Fabulous" when questioned how are you instead of answering just "fine"?????
So I decided to keep GRATITUDE...
But in the form of THANKFULNESS as my THEME and NOT my Word for this Year instead.....
"Below are just a few ways in which you can express gratitude to others – the list is by no means definitive but is a starting point for finding methods of expressing your thanks.
- Random acts of kindness. Random acts of kindness
can yield substantial reward in terms of subjective well-being (Rowland
& Curry, 2019). If you see a stranger struggling under a heavy load
of shopping, offer a hand. Donate unwanted clothes to charity. Help
someone lost with directions. The list is nigh inexhaustible!
- Be respectful. Maintain standards of etiquette in
your day-to-day interactions with strangers. Just because you don’t know
them, it doesn’t mean you should withhold the common courtesy you
expect yourself. Hold the door open, respect their space, and be mindful
of how your actions impact them.
- Tip your server. Going to the effort to make your
experience a positive one, service-industry employees are often unsung
heroes. In a fast-paced service environment, stopping a server to read
them a gratitude letter isn’t likely to be received well but dropping a
tip in the jar (if you can afford to) lets the staff know you’re
thankful for their efforts.
- Volunteer in your community. Volunteering is not only a great way to connect with others and gain experience, it has also been found to increase subjective well-being and pose significant health benefits. Thoits and Hewitt (2001) found volunteer work to have a positive impact on elements of personal well-being. Those who undertook volunteering opportunities reported increased levels of happiness, life satisfaction, self-esteem, sense of control over life, physical health and lower levels of depression."
"7 Ways to Express Thanks and Gratitude to Friends, Teachers, and Parents
When you think about expressing gratitude and thanks, how does it make you feel? Embarrassed? Awkward? You are not alone. For some, expressing gratitude does not come easily, even to those people who mean the most to us. Whether it’s a friend, teacher, or parent, the positive impact a little bit of gratitude can have is immense for both parties.
It is often the simplest of gestures that speak volumes in showing your gratitude. We all have people in our lives who inspire us and generally just make life better by being in it; here we will look at ways to express gratitude to those who should really hear it.
1. Say the words!
Words are powerful and the simplest, most direct, way to express gratitude to the people we may take for granted. Given proximity, a verbal expression of your appreciation in person is effective – if you can’t do it in person, make the phone call and brighten somebody’s day.
2. Write a gratitude letter or note
Spend some time thinking about what you appreciate most about your friends, teacher, or parents and draft a letter by hand, expressing your sentiments. While recognizing your gratitude is important – just writing it down is enough to make you feel warm inside – actually reading the letter out loud is worth so much more.
Maybe jumping in with a full gratitude letter is too big a first step for you to make, that’s OK! Why not try a thank you note in a thoughtfully selected or handmade card? While writing thank you notes is a bit of a lost art; it takes almost no time at all but is a sincere expression of gratitude.
3. Show gratitude through creative expression.
We can’t all be talented artists, but it really is the thought and effort put in that counts. Often homemade gifts mean the most, a little bit of creativity goes a long way.
4. Give a gratitude gift
When choosing a gift aimed specifically at expressing gratitude, opt for meaningful over monetary value. Gratitude in itself is a gift but giving a thoughtful, personal gift that can be kept, displayed and treasured is something really special.
5. Express your appreciation face to face with a gratitude visit
While expressing gratitude in person might be a big step for some, the gesture of going out of your way to tell someone how much you appreciate them is enough for everyone to feel the benefits. If you can’t make the visit in person, send a personalized video message.
6. Ask how they are (and listen to their response!)
It’s easy to feel overwhelmed; the simple act of actively listening to your loved ones can be an effective way to show you value them. Put down your phone, remain attentive and let them steer the conversation.
7. Make a gratitude scrapbook
If you are thinking of how to show appreciation for a teacher, try making your own scrapbook or even better, ask your entire class to get involved, each student can add a page of gratitude then put it all together in a book. Make one for your friend or parents and fill it with photographs of special moments over the years.
Friend, teachers and parents are probably the people we’re most grateful for but show least gratitude towards. Expressing gratitude is personal to you – you know the person best, think about what would have the most value to them."
But what is now my One Little Word for 2022????
Going back to Leanne's Word of the Year, which is Fabulous, I chose THRIVE!!!
I know it is not as flashy and fun as hers but instead of merely Surviving, I think it is time to THRIVE!!!!!
What does THRIVE mean exactly.....
prosper; flourish.
And I want to Flourish!!!
I think we have all been surviving until "things got better"...
But "things" did not get better.....
So I think it is important to move forward no matter what.....
Yes, change is here....
And I think it is time to get used to it and stop wishing for everything to go back to "Normal"
So instead of surviving and staying in a "holding" pattern so to speak....
I am going the THRIVE this year!!!
And during these times that we are living in, I think we ALL need all three of the Bones listed below!!!
Don't you????
So this year, my One Little Word is THRIVE!!!
A few of those Goals are listed below!!!
Now don't they all sound interesting??
The BIG one is BUY NOTHING!!!!
Did you just hear that THUD???
That was Joe passing out on the floor...
He does that every time I mention that Buy Nothing is my Goal for the Year and we will be using what we have, shopping our own home....
Joe is a Shopaholic....
I keep telling him this:
Thanks to those who took the time out of their busy day to spend a little bit of time with me!!
If you do not have a blog, PLEASE give me some way to reply to your comment, maybe by including your email in your comment. If I can not find a way to reach you, I will reply on the post where you commented so please check back......
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