bloganuary

Bloganuary: Gratitude

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What are you grateful for today?

I use the OmniFocus planner on my computer and iPhone and everyday, without fail, I am reminded to do the following three things:

Gratitude is important to me. I grew up with nothing and now I might shoot around Tokyo with 20,000USD’s worth of equipment in my backpack and an iPhone in my pocket. Plus I live in the safest, cleanest place in the (so called) developed world — as a guest, a fact I’m very aware of, and grateful for.

Not too far from where I live, the Dior building on Aoyama Street.

Today is Adults Day in Japan, a national holiday, so I had the day off. The weather was a veritable balmy 8 degrees (C) today, but I chose to stay in to work on my YouTube channel and reddit’s Photoclass 2020.

Because of the Christmas/New Year holidays, I needed to stay away from my channel to stay centered in the real world with my family and friends, yet when I went back this morning, I had hundreds of messages from my subscribes asking where I was and wishing me a good year.

Thumbnail from my latest video, Tofu Teriyaki.

My apartment is clean, my mind is quiet, and though I’m avoiding doing yoga (which I really need to do because I’m tight) I have had a wonderfully peaceful day. I was even able to listen to my new favorite artist, Fuji Kaze, while I worked.

I am very lucky and I know it. I make it point to wake up and think of all the reasons I have to be thankful, then I run over all the problems that might arise so I am prepared, then I think on people to inspire me — and then I get up. So I am very grateful that today’s topic was very easy for me. 😄

Going through the gates is good for luck.

Post a link to you blog page so I can visit to see what you’re grateful for. You can also just tell me here. Also, do you have any ‘morning rituals’? What are they? Tell me in the comments.

29 thoughts on “Bloganuary: Gratitude”

  1. I’m grateful for food, shelter and clothes. I’m grateful for my husband and son, for my family and friends.

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  3. Sounds like you had a great day off. And wow, hundreds of comments, eh? I guess you’re YT famous 😉

    Japan has always been on my must-see list, and so you’re reaffirming all the wonderful things I’ve heard about. Lucky you, indeed.

    As far as gratitude goes, I’ve been doing these #365daysofgratitude and #gratitude30 challenges on IG, so I’m gonna have to pass on this one, but right there with you — on making it a daily habit. ❤

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    1. I had a wonderful Monday, and not so YT famous, but I’ve cultivated a very strong base. This next video should push me over 700 subscribers, but when you look in the comments, I have 900 – 1000 comments per video, that’s because I reply to everyone to build and maintain relationships. 😇

      Japan really is a must see place to visit but at the same time I miss the days when it was rare to see a foreign person. These days, outside of covid, people don’t know if I’m a resident or a tourist and it can get really annoying for people around me to assume I don’t know what they’re saying or to try to speak to me in English (I have a whole rant about this — let’s see if the Bloganuary gods give me the right prompt. 😄)

      IG understands what gratitude is? So pics of designer goods and then?

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  4. I love how grateful you are for so many things. My ritual is praying all throughout my day, asking God to bless my husband, my Mom and my friends. I don’t kneel by my bed to pray, I pray as I wash dishes, I pray as I go for a walk, I pray as I shower, as I dress, as I write…God has time so I use it xx

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    1. People here in Japan call that ‘meditation’, the focusing of the mind on one particular idea, goal or feeling. Praying in this way is a lovely way to focus the mind on what’s important. When I go to bed, I drift off recalling individual people in my life and wishing/praying for each one and suddenly I’m asleep. I’ve not had a nightmare since I was a child doing that. ☺️

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  5. Your morning routine sounds a lot like mine, only I get up (when I am home) and go upstairs to my sanctuary to do that thinking of my blessings and mapping out how I will spend the day. I posted what I am grateful for on my blog at http://www.janbeek.blog – and my other prompts are found there, too. I’d love to have you visit. ❤

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    1. It’s neat! If you could see my Facebook page, it’s filled with all my young friends (or my older friends kids) in their special kimono to make the transition from child to adult. The ceremony harkens back to the olden days when everyone celebrated their birthday on the (then lunar) new year. It made sense that on one day everyone turned 20 and were so considered legal adults with all the rights and privileges.

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