I’m going to be honest. At first, I found the idea of keeping a journal kind of childish. I hadn’t kept one since I was a kid and, even then, I didn’t have the patience to fill it out all the time. I just filled it with drawings and movie lines and things.

Filling it out now (which I still did inconsistently), I found it to be a bit of an assignment, something I had to do. However, I think keeping the “gratefulness” journal was an interesting way to recount my day and, to an extent, my values. Looking back, I’ll remember exactly when I was privileged enough to see the Leslie Odom Jr. lecture at Stephens Auditorium.

One common theme throughout my journaling was my gratefulness for being alive. I have often questioned whether I should allow myself to see the next day. I’m therefore grateful of my reluctance.