I remember hearing people talk about gratitude as if it was this life-changing practice. To be honest, I wasn't really a believer...it felt like it was the newest thing. Kind of like vegan cheese. People who enjoy vegan cheese are just pretending. I don't need to try it to know that for a FACT. I digress...back to gratitude. So all I have to do is be grateful for things? Like, grateful for the cup of coffee that I was able to buy this morning? It seemed easy enough and I felt better the more and more I did it. Here are some of the ways that I used gratitude as a little bit of sunshine for my soul:

1. Find the smallest thing when you're just starting this practice. Yes, it's a practice. I would start by being grateful that I had a peaceful nights sleep. I would be grateful that I slept in a comfortable bed. After a few weeks of making myself do this, I purposely would find things to be grateful for. It was a little highlight of my daily routine. 
2. We've talked about my crazy heel before, right? I'd always kind of been embarrassed by it UNTIL I started soaking and treating my feet with the Herbal Foot Soak and Scrub. After a good foot soak and scrub, I'd slather my Bahia Honey Body Beautiful all over my feet, put on some warm socks and go on about my day. I turned this thing that made me self-conscious into a weekly routine and the gratitude came from not having a dry, cracked heel. 
3. Now that I've told you about my crazy heel, wanna hear about my super dry elbows? When I workout I hold onto the handles on my stationary bike. This irritates my elbows and makes them dry and rough. The Bahia Honey Brown Sugar Body Polish makes me feel like Beyonce. No, really. You don't know the meaning of luxury until you are using Brown Sugar Body Polish for your ELBOWS! After a nice elbow treatment, they're nice and soft...luxury. You guys, how can I not be grateful for that?
4. Let's talk about how service will bring you gratitude as well. My parents are immunocompromised so they've been staying away from people for almost a year now. It has been fun. I'm a crazy Covid person so I try staying away from people as well but I started asking my parents what I could do for them. I've become the person who they call when they need a small errand handled or if they need their medicine to be picked up. I'm so grateful to be able to do these things for them. 
5. Are you guys into making lists? Sometimes I'm a little all over the place and I need to make lists so that I can keep things together. Also, I don't mean a list on my phone. I actually write my lists down on a piece of paper with a pen. If I can't finish one of the tasks on my list, I add "gratitude" and then I've accomplished one of my tasks. The satisfaction that I get from crossing things off of my list...*chefs kiss* 
6. Sometimes you can help people find gratitude...I'm not super great at giving gifts to men but listen to me, once I found the Bahia Honey Men's Signature Pack, I didn't have to worry anymore about finding a great gift. Beard Wash, Aftershave Splash, Aftershave Lotion? HELLO! You can be grateful for me later.
7. I'm famous for finding the negative before the positive and that's really not a good look. Sometimes I have to take a deeper inventory of my life and instead of sitting in the perceived bad, I find gratitude in being able to actively be positive. That's huge for someone like me. Digging deeper is imperative because being grateful for coffee isn't going to cut it forever. 
8. Health is wealth. Last year has shown us that more than ever. I have bad knees so I have to be careful with the exercises that I do. I love a good walk outside with the sun shining. I turn on my favorite podcast and get moving. When I workout I get lazy and don't always want to wash my hair. I have a lot of it and I definitely don't want to wash it daily. Can we talk about how the Supernatural Spray Hair Conditioner keeps my hair looking like I have some sense? It keeps my hair from looking dry and brittle and I definitely need that since I can't be bothered to wash it daily.       

For me, gratitude made the sun shine a little brighter and being purposeful with finding gratitude helped change my thinking. Instead of being annoyed that I had to wake up early for work, I'm able to be grateful for a job. Instead of being upset about staying home for so many months, I am grateful that I have a home to shelter in. As simple as it sounds, it really is life-changing. 

Love,

Summer, Bahia Honey Blogger