Somewhere in the middle of my annual reflection for 2024 and goal-setting for the new year, I paused and asked myself a simple question:
What’s your most rewarding habit?
The answer came quickly:
Gratitudes.
In recent years, this simple practice has produced profound results. Gratitude grounds me, no matter what life brings. It makes good days better and bad days better.
My current practice revolves around jars, journals, and walks.
Gratitude Jars
On our kitchen counter sit two glass jars. Today, one is empty, and the other has tiny blank note cards. Each Sunday, Linsey and I will take a card from the jar with blanks, write (or sometimes draw) our #1 gratitude of the week, and place it in the other jar.
If you’re sharing a meal with us on a Sunday evening, you’re invited to join the ritual.
At the end of the year, we pour out the jar and read our 104+ gratitudes aloud. It’s a simple tradition that captures life’s little joys, one card at a time.
Here are a few of my 2024 favorites:
A drawing of my friend Mario running a kite down the beach to entertain his daughter Selma—and himself. The other side reads: SCHULZKE.
Birch “Olipop” Fett – an inside joke from a day of fishing with my best Montana fishing buddy.
Retired Linsey is the Best Linsey – a nod to the latest version of my wife, affectionately dubbed Linsey 3.0 (or Nora).
Arkansas.
Anything my mom or Linsey cooks. Anything.
Chimmy’s big head.
We’re now in our third year of this practice, and every time we sift through those crumpled notes, it’s impossible not to smile. Each one is a snapshot of a year well-lived.
Gratitude Journals
Every morning, I open my journal and jot down three gratitudes. Some days, I write full sentences; others, just single words.
It’s a ritual that sets the tone for the day—a moment to pause, appreciate, and begin the day with good fortune.
Gratitude Walks
After dinner, Linsey and I often take a walk. Somewhere along the way, we each share three gratitudes aloud.
These walks are simple yet powerful—a way to connect and recognize what’s good in life.
I’ll recognize up to 43 gratitudes in any given week—sometimes more. And you know what? There’s no limit. Gratitudes help me find joy in the little things, the ordinary moments that make life extraordinary. Maybe that’s the real gift: seeing we already have and realizing it’s enough.