I Recommend This Exercise!

Not long ago on Facebook, I saw someone post a suggestion: every day, write down at least one thing that went well that day. Something that you enjoyed or made you laugh, something you accomplished. The idea is that when you're having a rough day or you're in a bad patch, just look at your list! It is good, solid proof that you have a good life.

So I started doing that! It's really simple, and doesn't take long at all. I keep the little notebook right beside my bed and it's the last thing I do before I turn off my light. I haven't been doing this long at all, but I already really like it. Not only is it a pleasant, relaxing thing to do at the end of the day, but it has the added effect that during the day when something good happens, I make a mental note then and there! It's just a lot of added positivity, and I think that's good for everyone!

So far, every single day, I have written down more than one thing.. mostly stupid little things, but to me, those are the best parts of life! For example, I wrote down: "Ate at the Wonderful House with Dad, Emmy, and Gram for Father's Day. Waiter gave me extra eggrolls!" and "Woman came into ACE with a parrot that imitated the loud, beeping backing-up noises large pieces of equipment make." And, perhaps most odd so far, "At dinner we laughed about nominal aphasia."

It is getting late, and it will soon be time to write today's entry! Well, I know what I will talk about:

Today was my day off of work and I had some appointments up in Pueblo, one with my psychiatrist. We get along really well! I have been going to see him for quite a while now, and every time I see him, we talk (at least a little) about writing. He knows I am an aspiring writer, and it turns out he is quite the writer himself! When I got to his office today, there were ads and notices around the room for a science fiction book he wrote! Where he was selling it, all about the book and so on. The book features people, especially veterans, who suffer from PTSD- turns out, he has spent a lot of time helping people with these problems. And there was a newspaper clipping on the wall!- all about him, his book, and his experience in psychiatry/therapy.

Well, I thought that was pretty damn awesome! As soon as I read the ads, I made a mental note to buy the book on Amazon. When my appointment time came, we went over the basics- OCD any worse? Schizoaffective disorder giving you crap? Nope and nope! Doing good. And then I asked about his book! And we just had a good conversation about it, and writing in general. When I got up to leave, he smiled and said, "Hey, wanna free copy? Writer to writer?"
And I was tickled pink! I told him I was planning on buying it, and he waved me away. He pulled a copy out of his desk and he signed it for me.

That made my day!

I thought it was cool that he wrote about people with mental health problems, since that's what he sees and deals with for a living. Especially since in the book I'm writing, I talk a lot about mental illness too- what it's like, what it's like to fight it, how to accept it.

I guess we write what we know!

Happy Wordsday Thursday guys!

Sarah