1. < Just Want to Talk

Gratitude Discussion Group

Posted by Debbra Williams, Alumna Mentor @debbraw, Nov 24, 2018

Hi everyone! Just before Thanksgiving @michellegraffradford posted a blog called Gratitude Changes Everything. She suggested three techniques to help incorporate gratitude into our daily lives:


  • Start the Day with Gratitude (before getting up think of three people you are grateful for)

  • Maintain a Gratitude Journal to record times when you are grateful

  • Count Blessings – not sheep! (Review the day and remember moments of gratitude)


Her blogpost was so inspiring that a lot of us decided we wanted to form a Gratitude Group to keep the attitude of gratitude going. The blogpost area is not an ideal space for a big discussion group so I am moving the discussion over here to the “Just Want to Talk” Group. Let’s use this space to share and discuss our Gratitude Journey. I’m going to suggest that we each try to take a minute from the day and post here what has made us feel thankful today. It can be as small as a stranger’s smile on the bus or as large as fulfilling a major life dream – or anywhere in between. We can also discuss how we are doing with the three techniques. Sometimes it is easier to form new habits with support from others.

Michelle's full blogpost is at the link below. You may want to review it or print it out to help get started!
https://connect.mayoclinic.org/page/living-with-mild-cognitive-impairment-mci/newsfeed/gratitude-changes-everything/
I look forward to hearing from others in the Gratitude Group and to having others join us here! Thanks to those who already shared great stories. If you haven't yet, what gratitude will you share today?!

Interested in more discussions like this? Go to the Just Want to Talk Support Group.

JK | @contentandwell | Jun 12, 2019
In reply to @debbraw "Hi Merry @merpreb and JK @contentandwell - thanks for your encouragement on the cataract surgery my..." + (show)
@debbraw

Hi Merry @merpreb and JK @contentandwell - thanks for your encouragement on the cataract surgery my husband had. He is doing very well and the doctor is really pleased. The problem we are having is more related to his dementia. He really can't understand the restriction on his activity. He loves to be outdoors digging in the garden and watering the plants. The doctor wants him away from the dirt and not bending over. So naturally, he sees the situation as one in which I've taken him hostage and won't let him enjoy his life. It will improve, but the first week after the first surgery was a nightmare and this one is shaping up in a similar way. The good news is that he can see better!

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@debbraw I had forgotten that your husband has dementia. I don’t recall that I had any restrictions but it was about 10 years ago.
JK

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Leonard | @jakedduck1 | Jun 12, 2019
In reply to @jodeej "Leonard, right now it's 70° with 28% humidity, so it's beautiful. I'll let you know what..." + (show)
@jodeej

Leonard, right now it's 70° with 28% humidity, so it's beautiful. I'll let you know what this weekend brings.

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@jodeej
Thanks for the report. Do you live in a high elevation? So it feels like 68F.
I didn’t think you had such low humidity.
Here is a heat index calculator.
https://www.calculator.net/heat-index-calculator.html?airtemperature=70&airtemperatureunit=fahrenheit&humidity=28&dewpoint=&dewpointunit=fahrenheit&x=76&y=17
Jake

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2 replies
jodeej | @jodeej | Jun 12, 2019
In reply to @jakedduck1 "@jodeej Thanks for the report. Do you live in a high elevation? So it feels like..." + (show)
@jakedduck1

@jodeej
Thanks for the report. Do you live in a high elevation? So it feels like 68F.
I didn’t think you had such low humidity.
Here is a heat index calculator.
https://www.calculator.net/heat-index-calculator.html?airtemperature=70&airtemperatureunit=fahrenheit&humidity=28&dewpoint=&dewpointunit=fahrenheit&x=76&y=17
Jake

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Iowa is flat land. Unless it's winter we have a heat index. In winter we have wind chill. Best of both worlds!

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karen00 | @karen00 | Jun 13, 2019
In reply to @jakedduck1 "@karen00 Hi, I haven’t been in your neck of the woods but went to the Worlds..." + (show)
@jakedduck1

@karen00
Hi,
I haven’t been in your neck of the woods but went to the Worlds Fair in New Orleans in 1984 and I was soaked just going from the car to the house. I never experienced anything like that before. California gets a little humid sometimes and everyone goes around whining and griping but nothing even close to what you experience. I know someone in Virginia and New Hampshire and they said it was humid there. Is it more humid the farther south you go? When I went to Texas I saw actual rain. We had to stop until it stopped, couldn’t see a thing. My friend said “good thing it didn’t hail.” You need to get out of California occasionally to see some actual weather. We have great fires, droughts and earthquakes but when it rains (or drizzles) a quarter inch here the headlines on the front page of the paper says “Major storm hits Valley” I don’t think Californians know what a a real storm is.
Jake

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@jakedduck1 Hey Jake, You guys don’t get rain? 1/4 inch is a lot? Wow! Yes, it gets more humid as you go southward. The average humidity is 70 for Raleigh - but that’s only a yearly average! I live right outside of Raleigh. Everyone gets quite crazy here when snow is forecast! We rarely get it and so if you try to go to grocery store after it’s been forecast - you won’t find any bread or milk. We just don’t have the snow equipment to handle the roads!

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Ethan McConkey, Moderator | @ethanmcconkey | Jun 14, 2019

Hi everyone! You all have interacted with @becsbuddy in this forum and across Connect. Learn more about @becsbuddy, what makes tick and her personal mantra and favorite hobby!
https://connect.mayoclinic.org/page/about-connect/newsfeed-post/great-opportunities-are-heavy-burdens-meet-becsbuddy/

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jodeej | @jodeej | Jun 15, 2019
In reply to @jakedduck1 "@jodeej Thanks for the report. Do you live in a high elevation? So it feels like..." + (show)
@jakedduck1

@jodeej
Thanks for the report. Do you live in a high elevation? So it feels like 68F.
I didn’t think you had such low humidity.
Here is a heat index calculator.
https://www.calculator.net/heat-index-calculator.html?airtemperature=70&airtemperatureunit=fahrenheit&humidity=28&dewpoint=&dewpointunit=fahrenheit&x=76&y=17
Jake

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@jakedduck1 today it is currently 77°with 83% humidity. The "feels like" temp is 78°. It's only 2:00 so we will see if it gets warmer or if a storm front moves in and cools it off. The College World Series is in Omaha so that guarantees a few storms in the coming days. Lol

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Mentor
Ginger, Volunteer Mentor | @gingerw | Jun 21, 2019

Today I am grateful to be back home. I just renewed my Mayo Connect preferences for getting information, but basically will start fresh. I am happy to be a Certified Zentangle (R) Teacher now. Whether I will teach in the near future remains to be seen. But I was able to share information about Mayo Connect with several students there, and my seatmate on one of the flights ;)) Looking forward to being involved here, again.
Ginger

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3 replies
Merry, Alumni Mentor | @merpreb | Jun 21, 2019
In reply to @gingerw "Today I am grateful to be back home. I just renewed my Mayo Connect preferences for..." + (show)
@gingerw

Today I am grateful to be back home. I just renewed my Mayo Connect preferences for getting information, but basically will start fresh. I am happy to be a Certified Zentangle (R) Teacher now. Whether I will teach in the near future remains to be seen. But I was able to share information about Mayo Connect with several students there, and my seatmate on one of the flights ;)) Looking forward to being involved here, again.
Ginger

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@gingerw- How did you like RI? What restaurants did you eat in? Your gratitude is very realistic and something within your grasp.
Congratulations on you teacher's Cert! I know that you were really looking forward to the class.

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1 reply
lioness | @lioness | Jun 21, 2019
In reply to @gingerw "Today I am grateful to be back home. I just renewed my Mayo Connect preferences for..." + (show)
@gingerw

Today I am grateful to be back home. I just renewed my Mayo Connect preferences for getting information, but basically will start fresh. I am happy to be a Certified Zentangle (R) Teacher now. Whether I will teach in the near future remains to be seen. But I was able to share information about Mayo Connect with several students there, and my seatmate on one of the flights ;)) Looking forward to being involved here, again.
Ginger

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@gingerw Glad to here you ae back and had a save trip looking forward to seeing some Zentangle online when your ready to share . I know your busy coming home stuff but glad your back .

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1 reply
sandij (Sandi James) | @sandij | Jun 21, 2019

Hi everybody! I'm grateful today to be two months effexor free! It's been a long healing process for me from when I was first diagnosed with fibromyalgia in the summer of 2015, seems like my life just went down a rabbit hole at that point, chasing treatments that made me worse before better. But I have to say it did set me on a path of discovery, complete with motivation to turn things around in my life. For far too long my focus has been on myself and only on how things affect me, with no consideration of others. Today I feel positive that I can someday bless someone else by sharing my story. Until then, I am making many efforts to reclaim my life as it should be, which is to be happy joyous and free, and to bring joy in any way I can, no matter how small, to the people in my life. Thanks for listening!

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