I’ve never really been about the grand gestures or the lofty ambitions but increasingly I am focusing on joys of small, simple everyday things. Life in lockdown certainly taught us to appreciate the simple things and I’ve found that I’ve carried that through into my everyday life now - more so than I ever did before.

I was reflecting the other day on how, as a parent so much emphasis is put on your child’s ‘firsts’ - first steps, first tooth, first bike ride. But we never really think about the ‘lasts’ - simply because you don’t know they are the last time you’ll ever have to retrieve their favourite bear before they’ll go to sleep or the last time they’ll need their laces tying.

And perhaps it’s a good job we don’t know that they are the ‘lasts’ at the time. On our recent holiday to the Lakes (thankfully on the last day as we were packing the car) it hit me that our next October break in that cottage will look very different with one son away at Uni - and honestly it hit me like a body blow - and one that I was absolutely unprepared for.

I’m glad I hadn’t thought of it earlier in the week otherwise it would have hung over my whole week with a series of ‘is this the last time …’ thoughts.

But it really did bring me up short and make me glad that I had taken a bit of time to stop and appreciate some of the small things that holiday - even if I was less than serene after the third game of Monopoly.

As part of my daily journaling I often add a short gratitude list - just tiny things during the day that I noticed or I particularly enjoyed. If I’m organised I might have snapped a photo or two as well and I love to scroll back through my camera roll and see the little things that captured my attention.

When our boys were little we used to joke that we had taught them to enjoy their pleasures small - a ‘beach holiday’ to them was spending time throwing stones into Wastwater. And I think there’s a lot to be said for that as adults as well.

Articles I enjoyed on this topic:

Find Gratitude In The Small Things (theodysseyonline.com)

4 Things Keeping a Gratitude Journal Taught Me - Life's AHmazing! (lifesahmazing.com)

Gratitude Journal: 66 Templates & Ideas for Daily Journaling (positivepsychology.com)