“Life can only be understood backwards; but it must be lived forwards.”
― Søren Kierkegaard

A friend of mine shared a great idea on my Facebook page that inspired me. I invite you to do it with me and see what we garner.

Collecting Good Things in a Jar

Find yourself a jar or another large container, something with plenty of room in it. For some reason I feel like it should be clear, so that I can see my collection growing, but anything that you like will work. You could even re-purpose a cookie jar.

This will be your Gratitude / Goodie Jar. Put a label on it that reminds you what it’s for. Mine, as you can see, is labeled “Believe.”

The basic “assignment” is this: As you go about your day-to-day activities, write down things for which you are grateful, and stuff them into your jar. Then at the end of 2015 we’ll each open our jar and read all of the things we wrote!

My friend asked if it’s okay to put anything good into the jar, even if it doesn’t seem to be a “gratitude” item or event. I think you should put whatever you choose into your jar. Happy accidents, unexpected meetings, random smiles, anything that makes sense to you should go into your jar.

I like the idea of planting the seeds of gratitude for a surprise for the end of 2015.

Are you in…the Gratitude Jar?

As I purge my office, set up the “casa,” my external home, I also fertilize the inner “casa” by taking inventory with gratitude. I’m hoping that you’ll share some of the contents of your Gratitude Jar with me at the end of 2015, so here are some of mine.

What am I grateful for as 2015 begins:

Transitioning to a new place near the ocean where I can really breathe.
Angst of the transition as it made me really look within and take inventory.
New and continued quality friendships in my life.
A new grandpuppy- Molly (I call her “rubia”)
A return to my roots in Puerto Rico to work and play yet again.
A deeper midlife spirituality.
Semi-retirement where I do less and achieve more–more meaning.
Intimacy and being understood, seen, and appreciated for me just the way I am–a “novella” unto myself at times.
An expanding coaching practice and deeper, more challenging client work where I can bring value for mutual success.
Colleagues growing and thriving and expanding in collaboration.
Health and mindfulness.

So much more that I would put in the jar, perhaps not for public consumption but “goodies” nevertheless.

And you, what is in your 2014 jar? What do you hope to find in your 2015 Gratitude Jar?