Being Grateful - Nov 5th

 

This November, I have taken on the challenge of pondering blessings that I commonly overlook. Things I would certainly miss if they were gone, yet scarcely give much thought. My goal is to share daily one typically-ignored blessing for which I am truly thankful.


Nov 5th:

You know how it sounds when the house is quiet? Kids, spouse, pets, visitors all departed, leaving you the only soul at home. Television and radio off. Technology and appliances unplugged. Life at a standstill, inside and out. 

This silence isn’t inaudible but deeply hushed. Tiny clicks. Mild creaks. Gentle, steady tick-tocks. A tranquil hum sings in the air so soft and serene it lulls you in whispers, soothing to the ear. It is the sound of peace. It is the sound of relaxing quiet. I am thankful for moments flooded with this sweet sound.

November 6th 

November 6th

Being Grateful - Nov 4th

 

This November, I have taken on the challenge of pondering blessings that I commonly overlook. Things I would certainly miss if they were gone, yet scarcely give much thought. My goal is to share daily one typically-ignored blessing for which I am truly thankful.


Nov 4th:

Today I was breathing. You too?

It’s funny how we inhale and exhale roughly 20,000 times each day without considering how miraculous and vital this automatic process is. It got me thinking about air and how grateful I am for it. Not just because it provides oxygen that maintains human consciousness… and ultimately life, but air performs other jobs—critical jobs—for which I am grateful. 

Air carries carbon dioxide to plants that in turn create oxygen for humans and animals to breathe. (Nice dependent bond there.) Air also holds tiny particles that attract and accumulate water droplets, allowing rainclouds to form. Air moves fast and far, which allows winds to move rainclouds inland, bringing water to drier lands. The wind carries living organisms from place to place. It keeps pollutants from building up and stagnating. The Earth’s atmosphere provides a form of insulation that keeps the planet from getting excessively cold or hot. It also provides the ozone that helps to protect life from the harmful effects of too much sunlight. 

Though I scarcely stop to think about the air around me, I am truly grateful for how it aids and protects life on Earth.

November 5th 

 

Being Grateful - Nov 3rd

 

This November, I have taken on the challenge of pondering blessings that I commonly overlook. Things I would certainly miss if they were gone, yet scarcely give much thought. My goal is to share daily one typically-ignored blessing for which I am truly thankful.



Nov 3rd:

I am grateful for hellos. Every language around the world has its own way to say it—from hola, hallo, bonjour, dia dhuit, sveiki, xin chào… to… សួស្តី, வணக்கம், Здрастуйте, and many other versions of the same friendly welcome. 

Hello is a universally peaceful form of acknowledgement. It is an effective tool for painting smiles on human lips. It is a magic word that warms the hearts of recipients. I appreciate hellos. 

The word is often taken for granted, yet put to use multiple times a day as we seek to gain the attention of others and start up friendly conversations or just make someone feel welcomed and accepted. Uttering a simple “hello” is the best way to begin new friendships. I am grateful for this well-used and underappreciated word.

 November 4th

Being Grateful - Nov 2nd

 

It is the first day of November, a month of change and transition. A month in which many people celebrate the holiday of Thanksgiving. It is a time that usually includes pondering personal blessings deserving of gratitude. I was thinking about the concept of gratitude when it occurred to me there are blessings I commonly overlook. Things I would certainly miss yet scarcely give much thought. My goal this November is to share daily one typically-ignored blessing for which I am truly thankful.

Nov. 2nd:

I am grateful for the natural ability to grow calluses. When I was a child, I spent a lot of time outside, running around barefoot in the yard, through the garden, and down the road. My heels and toes grew thick calluses to protect my feet from the abrasive edges of rocks, fallen branches, and other potentially hurtful debris. I ran across them without a second thought. It never hurt because of the thickness of the skin underlining my feet.

  

During a short period of my middle-school years, I took up playing the guitar. It was difficult to play at first because it hurt my tender fingers. Again, natural calluses developed to protect my fingers from pain. As a result, playing the guitar became easier.

 

I am thankful for another type of callus that develops as a result of pain and friction, one not physical but emotional (perhaps spiritual) in nature. It forms around the mind and heart when criticism, ridicule, scorn, gossip and such abrasive behaviors are forced on a human being. These calluses help protect a person, making the endurance of malice less painful. They are a blessing of safety and refuge. I am thankful that both types of calluses exist.

November 3rd 

Being Grateful - Nov 1st

 

It is the first day of November, a month of change and transition. A month in which many people celebrate the holiday of Thanksgiving. It is a time that usually includes pondering personal blessings deserving of gratitude. I was thinking about the concept of gratitude when it occurred to me there are blessings I commonly overlook. Things I would certainly miss yet scarcely give much thought. My goal this November is to share daily one typically-ignored blessing for which I am truly thankful.

Nov. 1st:

I am grateful for the ability to stop and start most anything at will. It seems an odd thought, perhaps, yet consider how awful it would be to lack the capacity to start a behavior or end a behavior when you wanted very much to do so.

 

Imagine whistling without the power to cease until someone closed your mouth. Or gripping a pencil but lacking the power to write until someone pinched your hand. More relatable examples might be these: the ability to start a new life; the ability to stop a harmful habit; the ability to start a new talent; the ability to stop a hurtful rumor; the ability to start a friendship; the ability to stop a biased tradition.

 

I am grateful that I can start new things I deem worthy of my energy and attention while at the same time possess the power to put a stop to unwanted behaviors. It is a blessing of agency, strength, and courage. And I am indeed grateful for it.

 

November 2nd

Being Bold

       Introducing the successor to Slaying Dragons, Making Wishes, and Smile Anyway; another book filled with motivation and inspiration, designed to be used on a day-to-day basis.

Being Bold

by

Richelle E. Goodrich

Available at AMAZON or BARNES&NOBLE

A note: This book was written as a graduation gift. Half the royalties are gifted to the author's son to help with college and living expenses, so keep in mind that every purchase is a donation to help put this young man through college.

       Being Bold mirrors its predecessors, Smile Anyway, Making Wishes, and Slaying Dragons, with new and inspirational quotes and short stories written by American author, Richelle E. Goodrich. This book gives you something to ponder every day of the year. For those who enjoy poetry, a variety of poems are scattered throughout the reading as well. Being Bold is motivational, inspirational, and entertaining. It can be enjoyed one entry per day or, if preferred, taken in at one sitting. Enjoy the following excerpts:

"Sometimes happiness quietly curls up in your heart just to snuggle."

“Sometimes you save people with your words or with acts of kindness. Other times people save you. That’s what we were meant to do on this earth—be heroes.”

“I am accountable for every lie that I tell, but I am also accountable for the effects of every harsh truth I deliver.”

“Surround yourself with those who voice more gratitudes than grumbles.”

“Whether or not you believe isn’t half as important as whether or not you want to believe.”

“Friends make everything easier. If you want to succeed at a challenge, involve your friends. They have an amazing capacity to lighten physical, emotional, and mental burdens by simply being there.”

And your thought for the day...

"Don’t whisper your wishes to faraway stars, shout them boldly at the sun."

                                  -Richelle E. Goodrich

Being Bold - Available to Pre-Order NOW!

     Introducing the newest book in a line of inspirational and motivational books by American author, Richelle E. Goodrich. Being Bold includes original quotes, poetry, and the occasional short story for every day of the year. In the same vein as Smile Anyway, Making Wishes, and Slaying Dragons, enjoy a fresh collection of daily quotes in the new book, Being Bold.

 

Being Bold: 

Quotes, Poetry, & Motivations  for Every Day of the Year

by 

Richelle E. Goodrich

Being Bold was written in the same style as 

Smile Anyway, Making Wishes, and Slaying Dragons.

     This book offers readers original daily quotes, poems, as well as the occasional short story. Ponder meaningful quotes like the popular following:

"Sometimes you save people with your words or with acts of kindness. Other times people save you. That’s what we were meant to do on this earth—be heroes."
“Don’t sink too deep into yourself. That is the secret to happiness.”

“Friends make everything easier. If you want to succeed at a challenge, involve your friends. They have an amazing capacity to lighten physical, emotional, and mental burdens by simply being there.”

“Life can be awful. Life can be ugly.
And still there are those who smile at the darkness, anticipating the beauty of an eventual sunrise.”

“Yes, love is a super power. It is the ultimate super power.”

“When a monster grows quiet and crumbles to the ground weeping, you feel sorry for him. You may approach with caution and hope, whispering words of peace. But in the morning he will rise to his full height, roaring and stomping and baring his sharp teeth because he is, after all, a monster.”

 

This book was written to entertain, inspire, and motivate individuals on a daily basis.

Being Bold is available to pre-order at

AMAZON KINDLE

and

SMASHWORDS

And your thought for the day...

"Don’t whisper your wishes to faraway stars, shout them boldly at the sun."

~ Richelle E. Goodrich