Testing the Grateful Heart Theory...

Pretty, right?

Sometimes the monotony of the average do-the-dishwasher, scrub –the-toilets day can put a person in a real funk. Especially when doing the unappealing chores also entails having a little Cling-On at your feet screaming, “Hold you,” or “A-bite.” It can be tricky to live by the standards of a sign that I have hanging in my home that says, “Grateful Hearts Gather Here.” Maintaining the existence of this grateful heart of mine in a real life scenario isn’t just unrealistic, but truly unfathomable at some points of my day. But my mom especially, has tried to instill a sense of gratitude in her children, and one of her greatest inventions has been her Joy of the Day idea, in which she REQUIRES each of us to participate in when we all sit down to share a meal together. Though we might roll our eyes and mock each other throughout the process, it forces each of us to reflect on our day and name one thing that brought us joy (It also gives each person a chance to speak in a highly competitive environment - the Carroll family dinner table).  

Flying with dad

A statistic I read on Funny Statistics stated that, “Optimism prolongs life,” and I think optimism, having a grateful heart and finding the joy of your day are all the same thing. According to the study that came from Wageningn University in the Netherlands, death rates of optimistic men were 63% lower than those of their pouty peers; for women, optimism reduced rate by 35% in a 9 year period tracking 999 elderly Dutch men and women. Why? Optimistic people avoided many un-healthy life choices. (Source: Scientific American Mind, Feb./Mar. 2006.)

A little angelic peace

This means that being positive can help you LIVE longer, not to mention that positive thinking has been linked to lower rates of depression, lower levels of distress, greater resistance to the common cold, better psychological and physical well-being, reduced risk of death from cardiovascular disease and better coping skills during hardships and times of stress. (Source: Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research).

And So I attempt to document all the Little Joys that lift my spirits  in a day and make me just a little bit more optimistic/grateful- this can be a challenge to an extent because pessimism and sarcasm are generally easy traits for me to nurture.  But, all in the name of HEALTH and HAPPINESS, right?

Surprisingly, just by looking for those simple joys they start to spring up all over my tediously ordinary day. And before I know it my heart is just a little more grateful, which in a nutshell means, I will live longer, with fewer colds!!!

Made Francis smile...

From hense forth I will have a Joy of the Day Friday - Every Friday! And if you don't want to see my joys keep your pessimistic, cold-infested (get it? Cause you're more likely to catch a cold? Ha Ha) self away from my blog on that day. Join me again on Monday when my post will more than likely be dreary and sarcastic.