Thoughtful Thursday: 5 Positive Moments from 5 Lives

#Tranquility – one of the most beautiful places I’ve ever had the pleasure of reading.

Life happens. It’s stressful and overwhelming sometimes and it isn’t always easy to “treat yo’ self”. I wanted to take Thursdays moving forward to share with you things that brighten up my life and day.

This week, I wanted to share 5 positive things 5 different people have done for themselves in the past 7 days. These are simple things that had a positive impact on their week, it’s important to remember that treating yourself right doesn’t always mean spending money or going on a lavish vacation. Sometimes, it’s just making sure you take time to read, or get your mind off of life’s hardships or spending a little extra time in the sun.  People have a habit of being harder on themselves than they are on others and I personally have to often remind myself that I should be my own greatest friend.

I’m not big on poetry for the most part (I don’t dislike it, I just don’t seek it out very often) but a poem called Love after Love by Derek Walcott spoke to me:

The time will come
when, with elation
you will greet yourself arriving
at your own door, in your own mirror
and each will smile at the other’s welcome,

and say, sit here. Eat.
You will love again the stranger who was your self.
Give wine. Give bread. Give back your heart
to itself, to the stranger who has loved you

all your life, whom you ignored
for another, who knows you by heart.
Take down the love letters from the bookshelf,

the photographs, the desperate notes,
peel your own image from the mirror.
Sit. Feast on your life.

This resonated with me because I think we all often forget to be our own biggest advocates, our own biggest cheer leaders. We have so much empathy and love to give others that we often forget to shine that on ourselves.

The PNW knows how to do wildflowers, I’ll tell you what.

5 Positive Things for 5 People:

1. Brandy: Making my daughter Belle’s lunches. It makes me happy, it makes her happy, it makes her teachers happy and her dad happy. She get’s to help me and that is exciting for her and for me. It keeps her nourished and full and happy all day long because she’s just a little pumpkin.

2. Brenda @ Two Sisters Lost in a Coulee: I love quotes or sayings and they always make me feel good. I have a few bookmarks I carry around with me just to look at. I recently bought four mood mugs and every morning I have my coffee in a different one and read before anyone else gets up. My favourite on is: Life is better in pajamas.

3. Kristin (Traveling Sister): I splurged on some hard covers I’ve been eyeing for a while that I’m excited to read! I also DIDN’T cry when my daughter got on the bus for her first day of 3rd grade. (Like I usually do)

4. Erica @ AnxietyErica: With GAD, or Generalized Anxiety Disorder, it can be a challenge to add positive thoughts into my mind throughout the week. How I self-care and ground myself is, at the end of the day when I’ve come home from the chaos of work, I put in my headphones and listen to a Simple Habit meditation while walking my dog. The powerful meditation combined with the healing nature and wind is a perfect end to any day. And start to it!

5. Monique (BFF extraordinaire): My mom passed away last year on the 14th and my dog escaped from the backyard a few days ago so it’s been a tough week. I’ve watched some guilty pleasure TV to just let my brain shut down and I’ve gone to therapy to talk about all the things that have been happening and work through them in a positive way.

Just remember: positivity comes from all the little moments in life, not just the big ones!

BONUS: here is a picture of my dog sitting like an idiot.

What have you done this week to add positivity to your life? What is something that has had a positive impact on you recently?