My Treasure Ablum (with photos!)

I love the idea of gratitude journals and if you don’t keep one, I suggest you give it a try. These written records of what you are grateful for help you to focus on the positive aspects of your life and they’ve been said to improve everything from mood to sleep.

This is where I confess that I don’t practice what I teach. I love the idea, I just don’t love the practice. Probably a little too structured for me. I have my own version and I’m sharing it with you today. I call it my treasure album, a scrap book of sorts.

Here’s how it works. I am mindful in my everyday experiences of things that make me smile. When one comes my way, I take note and take a picture, if possible. And to further explain, here are my treasures from the past week:

Sunday

On Friday a storm blew through, so more than usual had washed up on my beach. While this colony of mussels and barnacles made me a bit sad, it was also quite fascinating.

Monday

I’ve started taking my beach walks in the early morning. It’s less windy and I often have the beach entirely to myself. Plus the sun throws some pretty impressive shadows.

Tuesday

At first I thought this beach find was sea glass. Apparently it’s an agate, which is super exciting because I rarely find agates. Of course, I rarely find sea glass, so that would have been super exciting too!

Wednesday

Not all treasures are found on the beach. This day, we drove up to the quaint tourist town of Depoe Bay, a short 15 minutes from our house. As we sat outside and enjoyed our coffee, the marijuana dispensary next door was just opening. You can get an ounce for $30 or 2 for $75. Huh. Considering the source, that kinda, sorta, might make sense, right?

Thursday

Another non-beach treasure, this cute little bum-crack is a mushroom. It made me laugh and it’s so adorable that I couldn’t bare (see what I did there) to use it. It’s still sitting on my counter.

Now it just looks like a little brain, and for some reason, I find that hilariously cute as well.

Friday

Tim and I were working in the back yard (well, Tim was working. I was supervising) and I heard a sound that took me back many years. We looked at each other and both yelled “ice cream truck!” (jinx). Really it was a scene right out of my childhood. Mind you, this is a 55 plus community. Spicy lime fruit bar for Tim, drumstick for me.

Saturday Well someone has my sense of humor. I just wish I had a little mini beach chair and a teeny tiny margarita to add to their kelp “palm tree,” but alas, I left them at home.

So, if you’ve tried gratitude journaling and can’t seem to maintain it (like me), give treasure albums a go. Or make up your own way of recording everyday moments of happiness. And be sure to share your method.