Another Sunrise

Some mornings one awakens before one might wish to be awake, but today there was a beautiful sunrise as a reward for being awake and walking around:

(Click to enlarge)

Some wake up music.

And now to work!

WLEM AM

Where winning is the only thing.

This is a beautiful song about gratitude. Has anyone heard of gratitude journals? They are especially useful for negative people, as they teach one to look around during the day to think what three simple things they'll list in their journals that night. 

I Was Buying Into This Story About Gratitude Until.......

My long-departed Irish grandfather had away of  dealing with the nonsense I'd spout when I was an under-achieving and over-complaining college student.  It was always a quick quip, delivered in his brogue and with a smile.  When he had heard enough of my complaining  he'd just smile and say "Ah, Mikey, things could always be ninety-five percent worse as easily as they could be five percent better."  It was his way of reminding me to be grateful for what I have. 

And I do try every day to be grateful for the people I  know, the strangers I meet, the grace and forgiveness I have been given, and just about everything else.  Except the Cubs, maybe.  But I digress.

I was reminded of being grateful and of those conversations with my grandfather today when I read this interesting article about a family that opened a restaurant based on gratitude.  And their success allowed them to expand and to open several more locations.

The restaurant is named Café Gratitude, and it's vegan, natch, but set that aside for a moment.

 The menu is broken down into affirmations, so instead of asking your server for the cereal blend of coconut milk, pecans, seasonal fruit, vanilla and cinnamon, you say “I Am Bright-Eyed,” and the server repeats back to you “you are bright-eyed.” They also ask you a question of the day, like, "What moves you to your heart?"

Stay with me here.  I know you're starting to skim quickly.  Let's go further into the article.