Article by Make The Days Count Contributor Marie Monroe

Let’s begin with an acknowledgment of the human brain – that powerful bio-computer that does all those wonderful things so well.  It is in there that I want to say gratitude works its magic.

How?  I’ll have to leave that to those who understand neurochemistry, but I can make some guesses with my intuitive understanding and a few facts about how the brain works at other times.   

As I considered gratitude, I found myself thinking about other things, things we deem pathological even. Things that occur in the brain like seizures and bipolar disorder.  An odd and circuitous route to the subject of gratitude, but one that makes some sense to me. Let me explain.  In seizure disorders, a phenomenon called “kindling” can occur in which the brain ‘learns’ to have seizures more quickly and more efficiently.  A similar thing can happen to the brain in bipolar disorder.  The brain ‘learns’ to have manic episodes more quickly and more efficiently as well.  Not such a good thing if you suffer from these maladies, but an interesting schema for other events in the brain.  Perhaps we can kindle all sorts of other things. Perhaps this is one of the basic ways in which the brain learns anything?

Kindling is often likened to the ignition of fire – using small bits of wood to catch larger pieces on fire.  It is a sort of fine tuning.  Ignition of a process becomes more and more refined as the brain experiences the process more.  In pathological conditions we hope to delay kindling.  In positive experiences, why not cultivate it?  This is how my circumambulation brought me to gratitude. Read More »

Article by Christian Nanz and Make The Days Count Contributor Judy Mosley

One of the things I am still learning is how to make my days better by allowing myself to do things that bring pleasure to others and to me.  I am also learning how simple little things like making my bed can help me feel productive all day long!  They don’t need to be major undertakings.  It’s interesting that small things bring large doses of happiness or satisfaction.

For example, when I get up on the morning, I like to take my dog for a walk around the neighborhood. He loves going for a walk (and he expects it!), and yet I believe I appreciate the walk a much as he does!  It is my time to relax, be thankful for another day and enjoy.

Of course this is not an exhaustive list.  There are many things that are simple, inexpensive, and easy to do that can add to your day in an incredibly satisfying way.  Perhaps this will spark you to try some of the things on our list or to add to it with ideas of your own. Read More »

Article by Make The Days Count Contributor Chris Bennett

Addictions may have good intentions.  Lifting weights is a good habit, but it may mask a release of stress, which could lead to injury if the body is pushed too hard.  Running is a great addiction, but any runner or athlete for that matter will tell you that pavement and knees ultimately do not mix without moderation and tender loving care of your body.

What is your addiction?  What is the one habit you can or cannot be without?  Life is a consistent rotation of addictions, good and bad. The idea though, is to admit when one addiction is harmful no matter what the associated pleasures may be, and embrace a balanced state of mind and body.  After all, “good” addictions like running can help us have at least a little serenity each day.

Find a positive habit that allows calm for just a few minutes, or even a few seconds. People struggle with this concept, as simple as it may be. Addictions themselves can bring into true light what it means to make every day count. Fixations of addiction are mere masks of determination. The direction of the determination is left to the addict.

Good addictions are not limited to exercise.  Read More »

Article by Make The Days Count Contributor Tamara Belinc

Maude Womble of Tullahoma never realized retiring at the age of 82 would lead her to another career — one as an artist.

When the day care center where she worked closed, her children talked her into retiring.  “I had to have something to do,” she said. “I’ve worked nearly all of my life.”  She didn’t want to do “public work,” she said. Instead she found something enjoyable she could do at home.  “My daughter, Tammy, brought me a paint-by-number kit,” she said. “I thought if I could do that, I could draw and paint.”

Although she has never had art lessons, she soon found she didn’t need to paint by numbers. She developed her own colorful, primitive style of painting that has attracted many admirers. Read More »