365 Days of Gratitude Begins

I would find it uncomfortable to live in a world where I had no person to thank - Rosamunde Pilcher, Winter Solstice

I am relishing my decision to approach Project 365, where I take a photo each day for a year, with gratitude in mind.  Sometimes we choose to do things that really matter and for me, this is one of those times.I know I said I was going to start on January 4 but I got thinking about it the week before and became too eager to wait.  I had things I wanted to document from that week and I refused to let the calendar dictate when I could start recording.  So I pulled out my camera, found a little notepad for the journaling notes I wanted to make each day, set up an album in iPhoto and started Project 365.It's true that I had to backtrack just a couple of days to create a full first week but there were things I wanted to document so it didn't bother me.  Now I am on track, taking a photo each day and loving the opportunity to truly "notice" what I am grateful for each day.Elizabeth Dillow (a fabulous influence in the scrapbooking industry and teacher of the totally unique workshop at Big Picture Scrapbooking called "Red Letter Days" - click here to register) commented here about her experience with Project 365:

I just finished Project 365 (+1). It was completely, utterly worthwhile even though there were days I didn’t feel like taking a picture. Funny thing is, looking back I can only identify a couple of those days after the fact. My only piece of advice: give yourself permission to take a few passes (I made my magic number of passes = 3) in case you absolutely just can’t get a picture taken.

Great advice, Elizabeth - it brings me to a point I want to make about my personal philosophy of Project 365.  I believe more in the spirit of the law than the letter of the law when it comes to what goes into my album.  I am focused on recording the "essence" of our life during the course of a year.  That means if I want to document two things that happen on the same day - I probably will.  If the date doesn't really matter, I might even say that one happened one day and the other on the next day.  I'm OK with that.  It is more important to me to capture the most meaningful parts of who we are than to worry about the actual day they happened on.That is why I didn't get hung up on having to go back 3 days once I decided to start last week.   It's OK if you don't feel the same way that I do about Project 365.  It's OK if you want to make sure that every day uses a photo from that actual day.  Whatever way you decide to approach this project is the best way for you.  Embrace it and love it but if you are feeling pressure about taking a photo a day - just know that you have a friend in your corner telling you that you can use one from tomorrow or as Elizabeth suggests - give yourself permission to just skip that day.I posted a couple of my Project 365 of Gratitude photos in my last entry.  Here are a few more of my photos from the last week and a half.  No, I don't have Becky's kit yet (although I think once the dust settled that I actually ended up with one) but I decided that you don't have to have the kit to do the project.  I have a file started for printed photos and journaling notes and now I am on my way.

I am grateful for this opportunity to pay closer attention to the things that are meaningful in our lives.  I am grateful for these pieces and parts that will eventually make up a compilation of who we are, what we care about and how we are growing and becoming our best selves.