Children are experts at starting fresh with each new day, and with a little effort, adults can become professionals at it. Although it takes practice, just like law or dentistry, the rewards are usually well worth the effort. 
And the effort itself has a multitude of fringe benefits as well. Think back and remember one of the worst days you’ve ever experienced. A day when you found yourself hoping that it was all just a bad dream. When you were in it, you were powerless, you were confused, you were in pain or maybe you even considered ending it all and taking your own life, and in that moment of hopelessness it seemed that it could never get any better. Because you were simply exhausted by the ordeal, it’s likely that you fell asleep, for at least an hour or two anyway. When you awoke, you may have felt just a little bit more optimistic, but you weren’t sure why. Sleep is restorative to all of our physical and psychological systems, including the emotional damage we suffer during tragic or highly stressful experiences. When you watch a child sleeping and you find yourself gazing in wide wonder at the peaceful slumber they seem to enjoy, remember that your own sleep habits were probably once just that simple. You would tire yourself out with a days worth of child sized experiences and then your body and your mind would tell you it was time for a recharge, and you would sleep. While you were sleeping, you categorized, prioritized and organized the problems of the day. For the average child with a fair to middling home environment, sleep time can heal the worst of the day time’s negative experiences. As adults, our lives become very complicated, quite often more complicated than they need to be. We have our worry, regret, grievances and intolerance to perpetuate, and then there’s the vengeance and jealousy to attend to, and let’s not forget about the animosity, spitefulness and self pity we are holding on to. It becomes very difficult to clean up the messes and heal the damages with just a few short hours of sleep each night. Here’s the thing – adults who practice gratitude for the daily experiences of their lives, are more likely to wake in the morning refreshed and ready for the new day of blessings. If they go to bed grateful and wake up grateful, then they are likely to find blessings in all the experiences of their lives, including the most painful and traumatic experiences, and yes, even the tragedies. When we learn to fall asleep and wake up in gratitude, our days are full to the brim with positive potential. We are blessed to be alive and grateful for each new day.
If this journal entry offends your cynical world view, then you just might have a severe shortage of gratitude for the miraculous gift of life.
"Grand Providentia United" 