There are big things to be thankful for. I am grateful that I am alive. I am grateful that I have a place to sleep tonight. I am grateful that I have a family that cares about me, and wants the best for me. I am grateful for my best friends, my friends, and God. I am grateful for a school and teachers that want me to do well, and to be successful and achieve great things. All these things are great, but when you look past them, there's the smaller, subtle things that in some way, manage to surpass them all. I am grateful for the chair that I am sitting on right now. I am grateful for the fact that flowers are colourful, that grass grows, and that it rains for these things to be true. I am grateful that I have celebrated Christmas every year of my life, as well as my birthday, New Year's, and Easter. Sixteen things just of the top of my head, and yet I complain about my life immense amounts, along with the other 7 billion people on this planet. So why can't we slow down and be thankful? Someone by the name of Hailey Bartholemew is way ahead of me.
Like you, like me, Hailey was once in a state where she felt as if she had everything she needed, yet didn't appreciate it. She was a normal, middle class mother and wife from Australia, and was fed up with her life. It was then when she started to take counselling lessons from a nun, and discovered through her that the key to true happiness in life was reflection and gratitude. She started to slow down, and appreciate the smaller things in life. It was then that Hailey started the 365 grateful project. Everyday, no matter how crammed her schedule was, she would take a picture of one of the small, more subtle things that usually she wouldn't notice. In doing this project, as well as benefiting her whole life, it benefited her in three major ways. She feels like she now appreciates and is more connected with her husband, her children, and nature. After this project, Hailey strongly believes in being thankful, and fights for others to be thankful as well by starting her campaign, '365 grateful.'
First, Hailey felt as if her and her husband benefited as a couple. "He's a great man, and a great husband, but he was just never very romantic! And, I had kind of labelled him as that. Doing this project, I started to see things I otherwise would have missed." Before, as mentioned in the quote, she had undermined him to be unromantic. On the list of things that she was building up in her head that she wasn't happy with, he was one of them. Their relationship was suffering because of this, because she didn't appreciate all the things that he did for her daily. Kind, romantic things that she wouldn't have noticed otherwise. When she started the 365 project, she started to notice everything that he did for her. Some of these included a foot rub to wake her up in the morning, or a heart of rose petals on her bed at night. Once, he even brought her ice-cream on a really hot day during work! Once she started noticing these things, her whole view of him changed. "There were some beautiful moments, and things he was doing, that I, in the business of the day, wouldn't have even seen!" This project that she so eagerly fights for, helped her relationship with her husband.
Through the 365 grateful project, Hailey also thought that she became closer to her children, appreciated them, and when she slowed down her life, had more time to spend with them. She recorded in her photo diary when she was completing the project: 'A small hand. I lifted her up to the top step and she turned around and offered her hand. Warms my soul!' Small things like this, seemingly usual things would have provoked little happiness, but with the project, she felt as if she slowed down and relaxed, focused on the smaller things. "Otherwise, I would have been rushing past and going, "Oh cute, yeah..", but doing this project pulled me right into the moment." Doing this project really helped Hailey to stop and reflect, and that benefited her life in huge amounts.
Finally, she started to feel more in touch with nature. "I noticed was how connected I felt to nature. These little beautiful bits of nature, that I otherwise would have rushed past." By taking pictures of the things she really truly appreciated in nature, she started to notice things like a beetle landing close to her, or the collection of heart-shaped shells you could find on the beach. She stopped to appreciate things that usually would have passed by her. She took a break from the business of life. Instead of just rushing past something, she learned to be aware of her surroundings. "I should watch where I'm stepping, I should honour the earth that I'm on, I'm so grateful to be here!" By stopping to appreciate nature, she started to be thankful of where she was, and what was around her.
By reflecting and being thankful, Hailey’s life has been benefited. She now wants to share this discovery of hers with others, so they can benefit as well. Ever since her project has been getting some publicity, she realized her chance to share this with others, and is fighting for that chance. She has appeared in two different magazines with her project, and several TV shows have had segments about her work. Seizing this opportunity, she started to create smaller projects for others to do, like '30 day gratitude challenge', and workshops for people to participate in to learn all about it. Hailey is focusing completely on the project now, and the 365 grateful project is on its way to touching all ends of the globe. Because Hailey tried out this project, and because she is so grateful for the effect it made on her relationship with her husband, her children, and nature, she is now fighting to get that message across to the 7 billion other people in this world that need to recognize what they have.
Hailey is making a documentary about 365 grateful, you can follow it here.
Hailey’s blog is here.
The pictures at the top are from her original 365 grateful project.
Like you, like me, Hailey was once in a state where she felt as if she had everything she needed, yet didn't appreciate it. She was a normal, middle class mother and wife from Australia, and was fed up with her life. It was then when she started to take counselling lessons from a nun, and discovered through her that the key to true happiness in life was reflection and gratitude. She started to slow down, and appreciate the smaller things in life. It was then that Hailey started the 365 grateful project. Everyday, no matter how crammed her schedule was, she would take a picture of one of the small, more subtle things that usually she wouldn't notice. In doing this project, as well as benefiting her whole life, it benefited her in three major ways. She feels like she now appreciates and is more connected with her husband, her children, and nature. After this project, Hailey strongly believes in being thankful, and fights for others to be thankful as well by starting her campaign, '365 grateful.'
First, Hailey felt as if her and her husband benefited as a couple. "He's a great man, and a great husband, but he was just never very romantic! And, I had kind of labelled him as that. Doing this project, I started to see things I otherwise would have missed." Before, as mentioned in the quote, she had undermined him to be unromantic. On the list of things that she was building up in her head that she wasn't happy with, he was one of them. Their relationship was suffering because of this, because she didn't appreciate all the things that he did for her daily. Kind, romantic things that she wouldn't have noticed otherwise. When she started the 365 project, she started to notice everything that he did for her. Some of these included a foot rub to wake her up in the morning, or a heart of rose petals on her bed at night. Once, he even brought her ice-cream on a really hot day during work! Once she started noticing these things, her whole view of him changed. "There were some beautiful moments, and things he was doing, that I, in the business of the day, wouldn't have even seen!" This project that she so eagerly fights for, helped her relationship with her husband.
Through the 365 grateful project, Hailey also thought that she became closer to her children, appreciated them, and when she slowed down her life, had more time to spend with them. She recorded in her photo diary when she was completing the project: 'A small hand. I lifted her up to the top step and she turned around and offered her hand. Warms my soul!' Small things like this, seemingly usual things would have provoked little happiness, but with the project, she felt as if she slowed down and relaxed, focused on the smaller things. "Otherwise, I would have been rushing past and going, "Oh cute, yeah..", but doing this project pulled me right into the moment." Doing this project really helped Hailey to stop and reflect, and that benefited her life in huge amounts.
Finally, she started to feel more in touch with nature. "I noticed was how connected I felt to nature. These little beautiful bits of nature, that I otherwise would have rushed past." By taking pictures of the things she really truly appreciated in nature, she started to notice things like a beetle landing close to her, or the collection of heart-shaped shells you could find on the beach. She stopped to appreciate things that usually would have passed by her. She took a break from the business of life. Instead of just rushing past something, she learned to be aware of her surroundings. "I should watch where I'm stepping, I should honour the earth that I'm on, I'm so grateful to be here!" By stopping to appreciate nature, she started to be thankful of where she was, and what was around her.
By reflecting and being thankful, Hailey’s life has been benefited. She now wants to share this discovery of hers with others, so they can benefit as well. Ever since her project has been getting some publicity, she realized her chance to share this with others, and is fighting for that chance. She has appeared in two different magazines with her project, and several TV shows have had segments about her work. Seizing this opportunity, she started to create smaller projects for others to do, like '30 day gratitude challenge', and workshops for people to participate in to learn all about it. Hailey is focusing completely on the project now, and the 365 grateful project is on its way to touching all ends of the globe. Because Hailey tried out this project, and because she is so grateful for the effect it made on her relationship with her husband, her children, and nature, she is now fighting to get that message across to the 7 billion other people in this world that need to recognize what they have.
Hailey is making a documentary about 365 grateful, you can follow it here.
Hailey’s blog is here.
The pictures at the top are from her original 365 grateful project.
This post is very outstanding! So much voice and it is really heartwarming. I love what you had wrote: "By stopping to appreciate nature, she started to be thankful of where she was, and what was around her." I agree with you, people nowadays have busy life, sometimes, when we slow down our pace, we will see how much had the people around us did for us. Hailey is an extreme example for your essay as well. She must had experienced many different emotions in her 365 project. Hopefully, the others can also recognize everything that their family and friends had sacrificed for them. This is such a lovely piece of work!
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