Gratitude Write Up

Your Name: Becky Patty Date: 4/14/20

1. At the close of keeping a gratitude journal on D2L, what have you learned?

Posting in a gratitude journal regularly made me realize that, all though in general I know there are
many parts of my life that are special and that I am grateful for, at times it was difficult to come up with
specifics. I realized that the act of taking the time to pin point the things make up my life helped me to
identify concretely how I feel about them. Having a concrete understanding has made these things feel
more real, more significant. I found myself paying more attention to the positive things, no matter how
small, that happened throughout the day and going through this process. I hope to continue practicing
what I learned until I am constantly forming concrete opinions and appreciation with little effort

2. How does it feel to you when you look back over what you have written/posted?

Reading back through my post made me happy and feel warm. The emotional connection feels as
fresh as it was when I wrote them. There seems to be more positive emotions when I read my own
explanation of my feelings about something, than simply thinking about that particular thing. It’s as if
this exercise has formed a short cut in my memory and emotions, making them faster and more vivid.

3. Have you noticed any common themes after reviewing your gratitude posts? Please
describe….

One major theme I noticed was how COVID-19 and quarantine shaped my perspective. Having daily
life altered and dealing with a time of worry and uncertainty, I noticed that it made me appreciate things
more than I probably would have before. Before all this happened I was still healthy and financially
secure and I knew then I should be grateful, but now that these aspects are being effected is staggering
qualities and all over media, this really caused a change in perspective for me. Not only do like these
deserve more of my appreciation, but I also noted that there was a note of guilt that I had to grapple
with. I don’t feel right saying that I grateful for something I have simply because I know others do not. I
caught myself wording my thoughts that way and that’s not a mindset I wish to have, so I tried very hard
to highlight why I specifically am grateful for these things. Think journaling during this time really has
helped me to analyze my feelings and reactions, and start working towards forming a mindset I believe
in.

4. What have you learned from reviewing and responding to other’s posts?

Reading through my classmates’ posts made me realize that we share many things we are grateful
foe. There were many posts that had the same subjects that I wrote about. Many of us wrote about
being grateful for our health, our loved ones, and access to foundations of life, like shelter. Our studies
have proven to us just how important these factors are to our life, we have seen the impact not having
access or support has had on our patients. It was also interesting to see that while we shared many
appreciations, everyone had their own particular reasons and trains of thought. It made me appreciate
sharing of perspectives; even if people share an opinion, they may have very different reason why.

Sp 18 MOC