The Glad Game

Pollyanna was one of my favorite movies in junior high. First of all, I celebrated Halley Mills entire catalog of work--from the original Parent Trap to her later years on Saved by the Bell: The Early Years (Yes, that's her as Miss Bliss. Such an apporpriate name for the woman who once played Pollyanna, the enternal optimist). I also loved the upbeat, whimsical tone of the movie. It was like a musical without the music.

At a certain point in the movie, Pollyanna makes everyone play "The Glad Game", saying that there is always something to be glad about. In reading The Happiness ProjectI have been thinking a lot about gratitude lately. It seems that I, like many others, am wired to take things for granted. Sure, we all know we are lucky to have food, shelter, jobs, and love, but do we actually FEEL grateful? Compared to some of the third-world countries on this here earth, we have literally everything to the point of excess. Yet, we go through are days feeling like we don't have enough. Shouldn't we be starting the day saying "HOLY COW! LOOK AT ALL MY STUFF!"

Studies show, and I think it is true, that people seem to be made happier by getting than having. I keenly remember the surge of joy I felt when I got my black VW Bug. "Bruiser" (as I named her) and I had some great times together that I remember with fondness now, but at the time seemed commonplace. I got used to having a car, and it became a sort of baseline. Now that I live in the city and have sold the car, I miss it like an old friend.

You might feel the same way about your Iphone. Remember when it came out? Remember how excited you were when you got it? Remember how you couldn't talk to your friends for like, four hours, until you'd played with all the features? Now, it just seems like something you have. Sure, you would be upset if you lost or broke it, but I doubt you wake up every morning, see it on your bureau and exclaim, "OH SNAP! I GOT AN IPHONE!"

How do we feel grateful for the things we have, right now, in the moment? I decided I would spend today playing Pollyanna's "Glad Game". Instead of letting my mind settle on things that were bothering me or negative, I would start every sentence in my head with "I'm glad that..." For example, when I was groggily getting out of bed for my morning run, I thought "I'm glad that I love to run and that I'm fit enought to do it." When the weather was overcast all day I thought, "I'm glad that it's not pouring or 100 degrees outside." When the wind blew up my dress on Walnut I thought, "I'm glad I'm wearing cute underwear."

Sounds corny, right? The wierd thing is, I think it kind of worked! It instantly took my mind of negative things, and redirected it towards the positive. It also helped me to remember not so good times (ie when I was unemployed or when I sprained my ankle and the busses were on strike and I couldn't afford a cab so I literally crutched everywhere. A mile-and-a-half on crutches everyday gives you kickass arm muscles, though). I instincively compared my situation to these times, and actually felt the negativity fade. I plan to use this trick for the rest of the month to instill gratitude in my everyday life. As Gretchen Rubin often says, sometimes you have to act the way you want to feel.

Clean it up :)
Do it right :(
Let it go :)

"Gratitude bestows reverence, allowing us to encounter everyday epiphanies, those transcendent moments of awe that change forever how we experience life and the world."-John Milton

photo by http://dollydilettante.blogspot.com/2007/10/all-about-pollyanna.html