I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, I’ve been blessed this year as a fan of professional sports in Denver. At the same time, it’s been a rough postseason. On the one hand, the Denver Broncos, Colorado Mammoth, Denver Nuggets, Colorado Avalanche, and Colorado Eagles all made the playoffs. Their playoff exits, however, all stung.
The Denver Broncos lost Bo Nix to injury before the AFC Championship. All was not lost, but many like me in Broncos Country felt just like former Av Erik Johnson when we heard the news. The Broncos scored first, then never again, and failed to reach the Super Bowl. The Colorado Mammoth lost a close game in the quarterfinals. The Denver Nuggets were kicked out in the first round. The Colorado Avalanche swept the Kings and tamed the Wild but were swept by the Golden Knights in the Western Conference Final. On Monday, I followed the radio broadcast of the Colorado Eagles in Game 7 of their Western Conference Final. In case you haven’t heard, the Eagles lost.
There’s a lot to be disappointed about right now—not just in the world of sports. Everything can feel heavier when an unexpected hardship arises, unwanted changes are made, something breaks, people let you down, you let yourself down, some outcome you hoped for doesn’t come to pass. Sometimes it’s hard to identify things to be happy about when disappointments and difficulties are fresh and top of mind.
Last week, I talked about practicing intentional gratitude in June. Every day so far this month, I have made a conscious effort to identify things I’m grateful for, no matter how small. One day, I wrote that I was grateful for the hot water in my shower and the warmth of a mug of tea in my hands. Another day, I was grateful for music and the passage of time. Yesterday, I was grateful for notebooks and the way my preferred writing pen glides black ink across a white page.
It may seem cliché, and counting blessings isn’t a quick fix for all the world’s problems, but even for a few minutes, looking for little good things can shift your attention in a brighter direction.
When I began my intentional gratitude practice on the first day of June, I purposefully started small. When building a new habit, I have found that it is best to make the habit small enough to be easily achievable but big enough to be meaningful.
My habit has been this: after I get to my desk, before I start working on my novel or any other projects, I set a timer for five minutes and a goal to write three specific things I am grateful for and why I am grateful for them.
Perhaps this is a practice you would like to borrow from me. Please do.
I have an unwritten bonus rule: I try not to write down the same thing on consecutive days—but if I do, I need different reasons for why the same good thing is on my mind.
Some days, I need the full time to think and compose. Other days, I want to record more than three things and have more than five minutes. Regardless, I limit myself to three blessings in five minutes, not to limit what I am grateful for, but to intentionally build a habit of focusing my attention and appreciating the little joys of my life in detail.
While I look forward to the next seasons of my favorite sports teams, I’ll keep you posted on my writing life and pursuit of publication, and as always, LET’S GO PIOS! GO AVS GO!
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