Gratitude Day 1

I've come to realize recently that I have a gratitude problem. It is so easy to get fixated on the bad, that we miss the big. Sunday Morning ran a story about photographer Mark Hirsch who used his iPhone to photograph the same tree for a year.

Hirsch notes, "(the tree) taught me to slow down, to take time to look around, and appreciate the almost (but not quite) hidden beauty that abounds in our world -- sometimes even in your own backyard..."

It got me thinking - could I find something every day for a month to be grateful for. Can I break the habit of negativity and pessimism and criticism and replace it with celebration, with reflection, with an awareness and appreciation of what is around me?

Day One: 

I am grateful for the rain. It is pouring outside right now, beating on the window and tinking on the trap door on the roof. It has gone from an overcast day to a torrent in moments. It makes me want to go outside and dance, to laugh and be like a child...