Grateful Journals

I've been struggling a bit lately with attitude from Casia. She's not nasty, or rude, or even defiant; she's just, well,  negative. I think, in general, people tend to lean towards having either a positive or negative disposition. I, myself, tend to be a tad on the negative side. I know this about myself. I have for years referred to myself as an optimistic pessimist (hoping for the best, but expecting the worst). So it shouldn't be a surprise that I see this in my child, but it is so frustrating dealing with it!

I think things have gotten worse since the move. Or maybe since we first started talking about relocating a year ago. Maybe it's just an age thing. Casia seems content with the move, she even says she is happy here and I think we are all adjusting well, but this negativity keeps popping up. So while I had been pondering this over the last few weeks, I came across this article in the Wall Street Journal, Thank You. No, Thank You.

Basically, it talks about how much happier, healthier and successful people are when they are grateful. It also suggests that you can develop these feelings of appreciation by keeping a daily journal. This article really spoke to me and I realized that this is just what Casia and I need to chase away our negative feelings. We are going to start our own Grateful Journals. So today, while at the store, I picked up a couple of pretty journaling books and tomorrow, we will both write something that we are thankful for in them. I hope to keep this up for several weeks, or even months. Casia and I are hoping to see a positive change in the way we feel and even in the way we interact with each other and the rest of the family.