The Grateful Blog: Day 60. February 29th. Leap Year.
“Leap before you look I always say. Say what you mean don’t let the words get in the way” –Crazy Love by Dan Weber.
When I started this enterprise, this shot out of a cannon ‘blog’ idea I don’t think I was thinking straight. I mean who in their right mind would decide to do a lengthy blog every day for 365 days and decide to do it publicly so as to not chicken out and blow it off? I mean it SOUNDED like an OK idea, but 365 days? That was New Year’s Eve, 2011 when I made that resolution to myself, never fully expecting to share it with anyone. Now here I am, 60 days later, 1/6th of the way.
I don’t know if I’ll make it to be honest. Some days I feel like ‘Oh God, what to say today’ and others they just seem to fall into my lap. After working 60 hours a week, sleeping and the occasional meal, and oh that songwriting, performing, CD promoting thing I’m up to, it’s a stretch some days to even find the time. I’ve literally been in bed, thought ‘Oh crap, didn’t do my blog!’ and got up to do it, before midnight hit. Some days I didn’t succeed and then did 2 the next day to stay caught up. It almost felt like cheating…
But you know ALL that misses the point. THE point of The Grateful Blog was to slow down the Universe, or at least my little corner of it, for just 10 minutes a day, to find something or someone I’m Grateful for and then to express that. If you know me at all, you know I’m not exactly ummmm, straightforward (to not put TOO fine a point on it) at expressing myself. Sometimes it takes a while, often longer than I’d anticipated. But somehow the message always comes out, that I truly AM Grateful for the things I’ve been given and more importantly for the people, family and friend who’ve blessed my life.
Today is officially ‘Leap Year’, the ONE day I did not count on having to do this. But there it was, snuck onto the calendar. So I thought about skipping it, and I thought about it just being another day. But then I thought maybe the best thing to do on this extra day in a year or days was re-state my mission and my commitment (so as to make myself feel even more guilty when I blow this), that is, I will endeavor, each and every day, to find some good in the Universe. Be that some thing or someone. Be it eloquent or simple, be it straightforward or meandering. Someway, somehow, I will try each and every day to be Grateful for the gifts: For the magical and the mundane, the inspirational and germane, for the ugly and the beautiful and for better and for worse.
I don’t how I know this, but I think this year will continue to be momentous. That something very special is underfoot in my life and in yours. The Grateful Blog is a LOTlike one of my concerts—it’s NOT a performance, it’s a Conversation, and I’d like you to be part of that. I hope you stick around and come along for the ride. If I know ANYTHING so far 60 days in is that by intentionally trying to be Grateful and counting my blessing I’ve actually become more Grateful. If that sounds easy, well it is–and it isn’t.
There’s no magic to it but it’s a bit like meditating. You won’t meditate until you sit down and actually do it. I’d be more convenient otherwise but it turns out life isn’t all that convenient sometimes. I’m kind of Grateful for that too, even the hard stuff. I think it means I’m learning.
So that’s my mission in a nutshell. To inspire and be inspired, to teach and learn, to laugh be laughed at and occasionally a cry a bit. It’s good for the soul.
Sign up and hit ‘Follow’, come along for the ride, tell me what you’re thinking or how you’re feeling.
60 days down and only 306 to go…
It’s as good a day as any to take the Leap…
dan
