Yesterday's assignment for The Gratitude Challenge was to call someone I hadn't talked to in a while and tell that person how much I appreciated her. It didn't take long for me to decide who I would call and what I would say. I'll keep the details between me and her, but suffice it to say that when she didn't answer and I had to leave a message I was actually happy. Knowing that she would listen to my voice after a harried day trying to run a family and a business, I was almost giddy with joy. My voice and the appreciation I expressed would hopefully be a wonderful ending to a stressful day.
Since the assignment for yesterday didn't really involve writing anything down, I hadn't planned to blog about it at all, but then I saw today's assignment and realized the story was connected to what I've chosen to share today. It's a picture of two things that I'm truly grateful for: my cell phone and my computer.
Without these two objects that I generally take for granted, I would be disconnected from so many of my family and friends. That woman I called yesterday? We're lucky to see each other and talk in person twice a year. But with my cell phone and my computer we can get in touch with one another at a moment's notice. I can reach out to my friends in Arizona, Kentucky, Louisiana, Minnesota, California, or New York. I can hear my mother's voice every day if I want to. I can send my sister an encouraging email as soon as I hear she's feeling down.
Sure, without my cell phone and computer I'd still have paper and pens and envelopes and stamps, but I would have the tender voices of friends and family when I most need them. I wouldn't have their near-instant emailed (or Tweeted) responses to my questions and concerns. I'd be lost and lonely without those two pieces of technology...and I don't even want to imagine what that would feel like.
What thing, person, place or moment makes you most grateful today? If you'd like to take The Gratitude Challenge, you can start any time. Just visit the website and sign your own pledge. You can also read more about what I'm grateful for by following my Gratitude Journey.
Thursday, October 01, 2009
A Picture of Gratitude
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2 comments:
You are so right about this.
I am mad at myself lately because I don't pick up the phone enough. I confess that with kids, it's tough to have a real conversation on the phone (unless it's evening & they're in bed). Typically by the end of each day, I'm so exhausted by the time I get my girls into bed that I collapse on the couch and am generally asleep no later than 10:30 p.m.
I need to pick up the phone more often. The computer is easier/faster, but it's so nice to hear a friend's voice, the inflection that's missing when you're reading something on your computer screen....
Thanks for this reminder. I need to make a list of people to call.
I am truly grateful for my computer - It's my all-in-one communication center, creative outlet, academic tool and amusement park.
I don't like the phone.
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