Ask & Find · 13 questions

What you already have

Gratitude, and what is quietly going right

Gratitude gets a bad name because it is so often prescribed, like a vitamin. This is not that.

These questions just ask you to look at what is already in the room. Most of it got there without you noticing. Some of it you fought for. Either way, it is yours, and it is worth seeing.

Begin with the first Print as a booklet

What are you most grateful for right now? Not in general. This week.

In general is too easy. This week makes you look.

If you had to thank one person first, who would it be?

The first name that comes up is usually the right one.

What do you have now that you once wished for?

Most of us walk past old wishes every day without noticing they came true.

What is going right that you have been taking for granted?

The body that works, the roof, the person who texts back. Steady things go quiet.

What small thing made today better?

Something did. Find it.

What has someone done for you this year that you have not fully thanked them for?

An unsaid thank-you is a small debt, and paying it feels good on both sides.

What ability do you have that you would hate to lose?

Walking, reading, laughing, cooking. Naming it is a way of enjoying it.

What do you love about where you live?

Even a place you are leaving has something. The light, the shop, the corner.

What hard thing turned out to be a gift?

Not every hard thing does. But some do, and those are worth collecting.

What do you have more of than you need? Could someone else use it?

Gratitude and generosity are the same muscle.

What makes you laugh, reliably?

Put it on the list. Keep it close for bad weeks.

Write a thank-you to something that is not a person. A place, a song, a habit, a year.

Strange, and surprisingly good.

What do you hope you never stop being grateful for?

Some things we are grateful for at twenty and ignore at forty. Decide early.