I want to start a jar of awesome, where you write down something great that happens to you on a little scrap of paper and then store it into a jar. Then at year’s end, you read all those scraps of paper and remember how awesome your year has been. I am in love with this concept and a little worried about it. My problem is I have a terrible memory, and I often don’t remember details by day’s end. Even if I write them down when I think about it, somehow those little scraps of paper will get lost before they ever reach the jar. And I might misplace the jar somehow, or maybe it will break, or if I move again, it might get lost to adventure in the land of lost things. Because if I were a jar of awesome, I would rather go off and have glorious adventures than sit dully on the shelf.
But I think it’s worth it, to document those little joys, those small moments that make you deeply happy. Like when you read something that changes the way you think about the world. Or watch a show that makes you laugh and cry and laugh and cry. Or hear a phrase, a song, a sound bite so stunning, so beautiful, so thrilling that makes you stop and drop everything you are doing and just be.
Sometimes I focus too much on the big picture when the reality is, life is the sum of small moments. I’m hoping my jar of awesome will help me remember to embrace life with gratitude.