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anipgarden · 11 months

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Things to Do that Aren't Related to Growing Plants

This is my second post in a series I’ll be making on how to increase biodiversity on a budget! I’m not an expert--just an enthusiast--but I hope something you find here helps!

Some of us just don’t have much luck when it comes to growing plants. Some of us simply want to aim for other ways to help that don’t involve putting on gardening gloves. Maybe you've already got a garden, but you want to do more. No problem! There’s a couple of options you can look into that’ll help attract wildlife in your area without even having to bring out any shovels!

Provide a Water Source

Oftentimes when I see ‘add a water source’ in informational articles about improving your backyard for wildlife, it’s almost always followed by an image of a gorgeous backyard pond with a waterfall and rock lining that looks expensive to set up, difficult to maintain, and overall just… not feasible for me. Arguably, not feasible for a lot of people. And that’s okay! There’s still ways to add water in your garden for all kinds of creatures to enjoy!

There’s tons of ways to create watering stations for insects like bees and butterflies. A self refilling dog bowl can work wonders! Add some stones into the receiving tray for insects to land on or use to climb out, and you’ve got a wonderful drinking spot for all kinds of insects! You can also fill a saucer or other dish with small stones and fill it, though it’ll likely need refilling daily or even several times a day during hot times.

I've seen people online use all kinds of things to make water features. Some go with terra-cotta pots, pebbles, and a cheap pump to get a small and simple fountain. Others use old tires, clay, and a hole in the ground to create an in-ground mini pond system. If all else fails, even a bucket or watertight box with a few plants in it can do the trick--though do be wary of mosquitoes if the water isn’t moving. In situations like these, a solar-powered fountain pump or bubbler are great for keeping the water moving while still making it a drinking option for wildlife (it not even more appealing for some)--and these items can be obtained fairly cheap online!

Bird baths are an option as well--a classic way to provide for birds in your area, they can be easy to find online or in a gardening store! The only downside is that a good, quality bird bath can be pricey up-front. However, a nice stone bird bath should last a long time, be easy to clean and refill, and be enjoyed by many birds! I’ve also seen tutorials on how to make your own with quickcrete! Bird baths will be a welcome sight to birds, as they provide a space for them to drink and bathe to regulate the oils in their feathers for flight and insulation. Putting a stone in the middle will also help insects to escape if they fall in, and provide a place to perch so they can get their own drink. You’ll want to change the water and clean the baths regularly--as often as once a week, if you can manage it.

If possible, it’s highly encouraged to fill and refill water features with rainwater instead of tap water. Tap water is often treated, so instead of using hoses or indoor kitchen water, collecting some rainwater is a great alternative. Collecting rainwater can be as simple as leaving cups, bins, or pots outside for awhile.

Butterflies and other creatures will also drink from mud puddles. If you can maintain an area of damp soil mixed with a small amount of salt or wood ash, this can be fantastic for them! Some plants also excel at storing water within their leaves and flowers (bromeliads come to mind), making them an excellent habitat for amphibians as well as a drinking spot for insects and birds.

Bird Feeders and Bird Houses

Some of the fancy, decorated bird feeders are expensive, but others can be pretty low-cost--I got my bird feeder from Lowe’s for around 10 dollars, and a big bag of birdseed was around another 10 dollars and has lasted several refills! If you don’t mind occasionally buying more birdseed, a single birdfeeder can do a lot to attract and support local birds! If you’re handy, have some spare wood, and have or can borrow some tools, you may even be able to find instructions online to make your own feeder. You may not even need wood to do so! Even hummingbird feeders, I’ve found, are quick to attract them, as long as you keep them stocked up on fresh sugar water in the spring and summer!

An important note with bird feeders is that you have to make sure you can clean them regularly. Otherwise, they may become a vector for disease, and we want to avoid causing harm whenever possible. Also keep an ear out and track if there’s known outbreaks of bird diseases in your area. If local birding societies and scientists are advising you take your birdfeeders down for awhile, by all means, do it!

Bird houses are naturally paired with bird feeders as biodiversity promoters for backyard spaces, and it makes sense. Having bird houses suited to birds in your area promotes them to breed, raise their young, disperse seeds, and generally engage in your surrounding environment. Setting them up takes careful selection or construction, preparation, and some patience, but sooner or later you might get some little homemakers! Keep in mind, you will need to clean your birdhouses at least once a year (if not once per brood) to make sure they’re ready and safe for birds year after year--you wouldn’t want to promote disease and parasites, after all. But they could be a valuable option for your landscape, whether you purchase one or construct your own!

Again, do make sure you're putting up the right kind of boxes for the right kinds of birds. Bluebird boxes are some I see sold most commonly, but in my area I believe they're not even all that common--a nesting box for cardinals or chickadees would be far more likely to see success here! And some birds don't even nest in boxes--robins and some other birds are more likely to use a nesting shelf, instead! Research what birds live in your area, take note of any you see around already, and pick a few target species to make homes for!

Solitary Bee Houses

A bee house or bee hotel is a fantastic way to support the solitary bees in your area! For a few dollars and some annual cleaning, you can buy a solitary bee house from most big box nurseries. Alternatively, you can make one at home, with an array of materials you may already have lying around! You can even make them so that they’ll benefit all kinds of insects, and not necessarily just bees.

Though you don’t even necessarily have to break out the hammer and nails, buy a ton of bricks, or borrow a staple gun. Making homes for tunneling bees can be as simple as drilling holes in a log and erecting it, or drilling holes in stumps and dead trees on your property. You might even attract some woodpeckers by doing this!

Providing Nesting Area

There are tons of different kinds of bees, and they all make different kinds of homes for themselves. Not all of them make big cavity hives like honey bees, or will utilize a solitary bee house. Bumblebees live in social hives underground, particularly in abandoned holes made by rodents--some others nest in abandoned bird nests, or cavities like hollow logs, spaces between rocks, compost piles, or unoccupied birdhouses. Borer, Ground, and Miner bees dig into bare, dry soil to create their nests. Sparsely-vegetated patches of soil in well-drained areas are great places to find them making their nests, so providing a similar habitat somewhere in the garden can encourage them to come! I do talk later in this document about mulching bare soil in a garden--however, leaving soil in sunny areas and south-facing slopes bare provides optimal ground nesting habitat. Some species prefer to nest at the base of plants, or loose sandy soil, or smooth-packed and flat bare ground. They’ve also been known to take advantage of soil piles, knocked over tree roots, wheel ruts in farm roads, baseball diamonds and golf course sand traps. You can create nesting ground by digging ditches or creating nesting mounds in well-drained, open, sunny areas with sandy or silty soil. However, artificially constructed ground nests may only have limited success.

Providing Alternative Pollinator Foods

Nectar and pollen aren’t the only foods sought out by some pollinators! Some species of butterflies are known to flock to overripe fruit or honey water, so setting these out can be an excellent way to provide food to wildlife. You may want to be cautious about how you set these out, otherwise it can help other wildlife, like ants or raccoons. Butterflies may also drop by to visit a sponge in a dish of lightly salted water.

Bat Houses and Boxes

Big or small, whether they support five bats or five hundred, making bat boxes and supporting local bats is a great way to boost biodiversity! Not only will they eat mosquitoes and other pest species, but you may also be able to use the guano (bat droppings) as fertilizer! Do be careful if you choose to do that though--I’ve never had the opportunity to, so do some research into how strong it is and use it accordingly.

Provide Passageway Points

If you want your area to be more accessible for creatures that can’t fly or climb fences, allowing or creating access points can be an excellent way to give them a way in and out. Holes in the bottom of walls or fences can be sheltered with plants to allow animals through.

In a somewhat similar manner, if you’re adding a water fixture, it’s important to provide animals a way to get into and out of the pond--no way in, and they can’t use the water. No way out, and they may drown. Creating a naturalistic ramp out of wood beams or sticks, or stepped platforms out of bricks, stones, or logs can do the trick.

Get or Keep Logs and Brush Piles

I’ve already mentioned logs a good handful of times so far in this post. To be used as access ramps, or as nesting areas for solitary bees. But they have value as much more than that! Logs on the ground provide shelter for all kinds of animals, especially depending on size--anything from mice, reptiles, and amphibians to things like turkey vultures and bears will use fallen logs as shelter. Inside of a decaying log, there’s a lot of humidity, so amphibians are big fans of them--meanwhile, the upper sides of them can be used as sunning platforms by things like lizards. Other animals can also use the insides of logs as nest sites and hiding places from predators too big to fit inside. Fungi, spiders, beetles, termites, ants, grubs, worms, snails, slugs, and likely much more can be found inside rotting logs, using the rotting wood as food sources or nesting places. They can then provide food for mammals, amphibians, reptiles, and birds. They can also be regarded as a landmark or territory marker as wildlife get more familiar with your space.

So how do you get logs for cheap? Try Chip Drop! I talk about them more in a future post, but you can mark saying that you’d like logs in your drop, so they’ll give you any they have! In fact, you may even get a drop faster if you're willing to accept some logs. You may also be able to approach arborists you see working in your area and ask for logs. There may also be local online listings for people selling logs for cheap, or just trying to get rid of them. If there’s land development going on near you, you may be able to snag logs from trees they cut down to make space. Do keep in mind, you don’t need to have huge gigantic logs laying around your property to make an impact--even small logs can help a lot.

If possible, creating and leaving brush piles on the edge of your property can be a great boost to biodiversity--even if you may not see the wildlife using it. They’ll provide shelter from weather and predators, and lower portions are cool and shady for creatures to avoid the hot sun. The upper layers can be used as perch sites and nest sites for song birds, while lower layers are resting sites for amphibians and reptiles, and escape sites for many mammals. As the material decays, they also attract insects, and as such they’ll attract insect-eating animals too. As more small animals find refuse in your brush pile, their predators will be attracted to them as well. Owls, hawks, foxes, and coyotes are known to visit brush piles to hunt. Making a brush pile can be as simple as piling branches and leaves into a mound, as big or as small as you want. You can even use tree stumps or old fence posts near the base, and keep stacking on plant trimmings and fallen branches. Do note that you don’t want to do this near anything like a fire pit.

Don't forget, with all of these, your mileage may vary for any variation of reasons, so don't worry if you can't take all of even any of these actions! Even just talking about them with other people may inspire someone else to put out a bat box, or leave a few logs out for wildlife!

That's the end of this post! My next post is gonna be about ways to get seeds and plants as cheaply as possible. For now, I hope this advice helps! Feel free to reply with any questions, success stories, or anything you think I may have forgotten to add in!

#biodiversity #solarpunk #environmental stewardship #gardening #outdoor gardening #(i know this is literally the Dont Gotta Garden post but these could also be excellent additions to a preexisting garden so)#ani rambles #out of queue #the biodiversity saga #here in the tags to once again emphasize your mileage may vary with all of these #my mom is scared of bats theres no way in hell shes gonna let me put up a bat box #but I have been able to put out a shallow bird bath and a little solarpowered hummingbird bath fountain #do what you can! every bit counts! You may be able to do something that I or your neighbors can't!#for example my nextdoor neighbors have literally no trees in their backyard where the hell would they put a bat box #meanwhile i have trees in my backyard but still can't put up a bat box. maybe the neighbors next to me could!#similarly brush piles are a no go for my family but someone somewhere else could set one up!#i am rambling in the tags now uh long story short do what you can don't stress about what you can't

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qkmlh · 1 year

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#As someone who loves the heart emojis I want to see something #Also!! There’s a limit of 10 options for the polls #Polls #Tumblr Polls #Ani Rambles

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agent00ani · 2 months

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I want someone to kiss me like Creature kissed Lisa before they had sex. I want someone to kiss my forehead and then my cheeks and then look at me like I’m the most beautiful thing in the world. I want someone to treat me tenderly despite my nature.

#lisa frankenstein #ani rambles #I’m in my feelings and my partner is out of state and I miss them so much

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starkiller419 · 9 months

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An apology.

pairing : Anakin Skywalker x F!Padawan reader | wc : 2.7k |

summary : just a wee little drabble. you hurt Anakin in battle (accidentally of course) and share a bed together. may be working on a pt. 2...

warnings : idk it's definitely fluffy. a little bit of violence but not directed at either Anakin or the reader.

a/n : this came to me in the middle of working on something else and I just had to get it out before I forgot. I didn't do any smut because idk it just didn't seem right? anywayssss enjoy <3

(PS mans is literally an angel. that's all.)

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Ever since you've met him, you've been in agony.

You haven't slept one night without his blue eyes taking high precedence in your dreams. his voice, his laugh, his entire being clouding your dreamscape. And then when you wake, and he isn't there, you are in more agony. He has managed to consume your entire being in a matter of months. Granted the months have felt like years, but still, it should be considered a world record. How easily you have fallen for him, and he is clueless. He has no clue of your true feelings.

He does not know why you follow him the way you do, basically nipping at his heels as you walk steadfastly behind him. Half the time you don't know where he is going, and you don't care. He never wanted you in his life, he made that very clear in the first couple of months of your apprenticeship. You are simply an obstacle to him, an obstacle in place by the council, an obstacle he cannot ignore.

And while you are still an obstacle, in the utmost sense of the word, he has grown accustomed to your presence. He finds himself feeling deep apparitions of sadness when you are not near. He has come to enjoy the way you follow him like a lost puppy, with your wide eyes watching him, observing his every move.

He feels flattered that someone as spectacular as you found him equally as spectacular.

Sometimes he catches a glimpse of your thoughts mid-mission. How your mind seems to stray from the war and destruction before you to more simple things. The way his dirty blonde curls frame his face. The way the certain spot in his jaw clenches when he is frustrated, or concentrated. the way his eyes seem to become brighter when he is happy, and darker when he is sad. He enjoys how all of your escapist thoughts are of him. He takes pride in being able to give you the comfort of escaping the tragedy that engulfs your life.

Right now, for example, the two of you are engaged in a battle on the planet of Alderaan. The separatists have planned an attack against Senator Organa and his wife, and the council chose Anakin and you to protect them. One thing led to another, and within the first four hours of your arrival, a flock of separatist droids had invaded the Senator's home. As you fought alongside Anakin swinging your blue lightsaber to dodge and deflect blaster shots, you couldn't stop your mind from straying to the way his body moved so effortlessly in combat.

You regained some composure and redirected your attention to the droids before you. There had been about thirty of them when you started fighting, and now you were down to the final ten. You approached two from behind, taking the sneaky approach, and sliced clean through their midsections with your lightsaber. You smiled slightly at yourself, proud of your work, before redirecting your attention to the blast you could feel heading toward you.

You spun around quickly and directed the shot away from you, directly into Anakin's shoulder. Your eyes widened as you felt fear and shock flow through your veins. He stumbled slightly but somehow managed to maintain his composure and sliced through four droids, leaving only four remaining to fend off.

"Anakin!" you called out as you rushed to his side. You each took on two droids and the battle was over as soon as it had started. He turned to look at you, the pain in his shoulder was barely there, being fended off by the adrenaline coursing through him. "I'm so sorry! I-" You began apologizing profusely but stopped when he brought his hands to cup your face and softly stroked your cheekbones.

"I'm okay." He smiled brightly at you and proceeded to move his right arm around, showcasing the lack of pain and damage the blaster shot had caused. "You did well. I'm proud of you." His smile remained as he praised you. You didn't like it when he praised you, it just made your affection grow stronger. The way his eyes were shining brightly and the way the corners of his mouth curled into that deviously charming smile made you weak in the knees. Something, as a Jedi, you could not afford to be feeling. much less for your master.

"Are you sure?" Your voice is laced with concern as you stare into his eyes, unwilling to break eye contact. He nodded softly before his smile faded and he looked behind you with a stoic expression on his face. You turned to see where he was looking and saw Senator Organa walking from his hiding space in the room beside the one you were currently in.

After exchanging a few words with the Senator, mostly just him thanking you for defending him and his family, you and Anakin were shown to the rooms you would be residing in for the evening. One of the many servants in Organa's home had led the two of you up a long staircase, and down a long hallway, before stopping in front of one room. "This is your room for the remainder of your stay," she spoke with no emotion in her tone as she turned and swiftly walked away, leaving you and Anakin to stare at the door.

You looked at Anakin and saw he held that same smile from earlier on his lips, making you feel somewhat uneasy. He opened the door and motioned for you to enter before him. You were greeted with a lavish room, a large king-size bed situated in the middle, and a doorway leading to a bathroom over on the left wall. Anakin spoke first, taking in the surroundings, "I'll sleep on the floor." He moved to grab a pillow and a blanket off the bed, quickly creating a makeshift sleeping space on the hard ground.

"No Master, you're injured. You can have the bed, I don't mind." You said as you motioned to his shoulder. In typical Skywalker fashion, Anakin had insisted he was fine and didn't require any medical attention. He said he would apply some bacta upon your return to the temple. You didn't believe him after watching him remove his robe and wincing slightly in discomfort.

You made your way into the washroom, searching through the golden-plated cabinets and cupboard until you found a white box with a red cross on it. You re-entered the bedroom and placed the kit beside where he sat on the bed. He eyes you with curiosity, and then the box, his curiosity soon turning into arrogance.

"Y/n, I told you, I'm fine." He spoke in an irritated tone as if you were a child and he was putting you in your place. You scoffed and rolled your eyes, gripping onto his right shoulder and watching as he flinched in discomfort due to his injury.

"Oh really?" You scoffed again and laughed slightly at his childish behavior. "Just get over yourself, Master. There's nothing wrong with accepting help when it is offered to you. Besides, I owe you." You spoke softly as his demeanor changed from arrogant to calm and he began to remove his tunic to allow you to treat his injury.

You had seen Anakin shirtless a few times, only passing glances however as you tried to avoid looking at him in that context. It just added to the flame you already felt near him, and you couldn't stand more than what you already had to deal with when it came to your unrequited feelings.

He sat on the edge of the bed with his legs dangling off the side and you crawled behind him, sitting on your knees so you could look at his wound properly. It wasn't bad, he was right about that, but if it were to be left untreated it would become infected before you made it home. It was about the size of a quarter, his skin singed around the edges from the heat of the shot, the middle of the wound red and bloody. You took a cleansing wipe from the kit beside you and spoke in a whisper, "This may sting a bit." to which he scoffed and responded in a hushed tone,

"I'm sure I've felt worse." You rolled your eyes at his neverending arrogance as you placed the wipe against the wound, and he didn't even flinch. His back muscles had tensed slightly, showing his discomfort, but besides that, he was as calm as ever. Well, as calm as Anakin Skywalker could be. After cleansing the area you began to apply the cool bacta gel using your finger. Your touch was light to not risk hurting him in any way as you touched his open wound. He took a deep breath which startled you slightly, but not as what happened next.

"Why do you admire me so much?" He asked in the same hushed tone he used moments earlier. You thought over his question for a moment. You knew the answer, but you also knew you couldn't tell him the truth. However, you didn't feel right lying to him.

"I'm not entirely sure. You're strong and powerful, as a Jedi and as a person. You are smart and calculated, sometimes. And when you care for or about something or someone, you give it your all." You say trying to sound confident, but the shaking of your hand as you apply the gel tells Anakin otherwise.

"Is that all? There's no… other reason?" He asks in a shy tone. Anakin doesn't usually get shy. This was a new side of him you were seeing at this moment.

"Should there be?" You rebuttal, and watch as his back muscles tense up once again, but your hand was nowhere near him at this point.

"I guess not." He said quietly. You grabbed the gauze from beside you and placed it on his wound, securing it with tape before boldly leaning down and placing a soft kiss against it. He turned his head to face you and you felt a blush creep onto your cheeks.

"For good luck. Y'know, with healing and all." You smiled as you spoke softly and gazed down to look at the bed. He brought his hand to your chin and pulled your head to face his, "Thank you." He said sincerely, the look in his eyes matching the sincerity in his tone. Your face is only inches away from his own, and you're overcome with the need to kiss him.

You've imagined what his lips would feel like many times before. What it would be like to share something so intimate with the only person who was able to awaken these feelings in you. Your eyes drift from his down to his lips, only momentarily though as you know he's watching you. That's the thing about Anakin, he's so attentive and observant. It gets harder and harder to hide your desires from him as each day passes.

In another uncalculated bold moment, you lean forward and place a soft kiss on his cheek, pulling away to see the pink that tints his cheeks. It wasn't exactly what you wanted, but it would do for now. His breathing has increased and grown heavy, you take note of the rising and falling action of his chest. "What was that one for?" He asks as he stares into your very soul, his eyes holding an unknown feeling to you.

"An apology." You say as you smile softly at him, his eyes placing you in an unbreakable trance. He smiles a soft smile back at you and looks down, his curls fanning over his face. You want to reach out and run your fingers through his hair, but you've made enough bold moves for the night, and resist the urge.

You move off the bed, grab the kit as you do so, and return it to the washroom. You then remove your outerwear, leaving you in the tank top you wore beneath your Jedi robes and the loose linen pants. You had packed pajamas for the trip, but seeing as Anakin and you shared the room, you didn't want to wear the silky black shorts and top.

Well, you did, but you shouldn't.

Anakin watched as you removed your clothes with your back facing him. He admired every curve of your body, the way your shoulder blades moved when you pulled off your tunic, the tight black fabric that adorned your torso. He found his mind drifting to sinful places as he watched, so he forced himself to turn onto his side and face the opposite direction.

You lay down on the floor facing the ceiling and your mind was racing. The floor was uncomfortable, but you didn't mind if it meant Anakin could be more comfortable. That's one of the downsides to your ever-growing affections for the Jedi, the way you'd sacrifice anything for him. Even something as small as a comfortable place to sleep.

You closed your eyes and tried to sleep, only to open them moments later as you heard rustling coming from the bed beside you and a soft "Psst." coming from Anakin. You were met with his head hanging off the bed a couple of feet above you, and you couldn't stop the smile that formed on your lips.

"I'm trying to sleep." You said quietly and closed your eyes again, hoping he would return to his spot and leave you be.

"You didn't actually think I would let you sleep on the floor did you?" He laughs and you hear the sound of the covers being thrown off his body, and then you hear him lay beside you, the floorboards squeaking under his broad frame. You open your eyes again and turn to see Anakin laying beside you with his head on a pillow he must've grabbed from the bed. He's on his back as well, his eyes now closed as he fake snores. You laugh at his idiocy and sat up, hitting his chest as you did so. He laughed as well, giving up his facade of false slumber, and looked up at you.

"What are you doing?" You asked through your laughter, trying to stifle it as best as you could.

"If you sleep on the floor, I sleep on the floor." You smiled down at him before wiping it clear from your face and speaking in a serious tone, "Master-"

"Anakin. You can call me Anakin." His words make you blush,

"Anakin.." His name sounds so foreign coming from your mouth. But he loves it, and so do you. "you're injured, you really should sleep in the bed."

He smirks charmingly and sits up beside you, leaning in ever so slightly, "If I sleep in the bed, you sleep in the bed." He rephrased his earlier words as his smirk only seemed to grow.

You rolled your eyes, "You're not going to give up are you?"

"Nope." He said, popping the 'p'. You exhaled softly and looked over to the bed. It did look comfortable. Before you could stand, Anakin had moved closer and wrapped his arms around your waist and thighs, carrying you bridal style to the left side of the bed. You erupted in giggles and a blush spread across your face at the slight intimacy of this moment between you two.

You could feel his toned chest against your cheek, his heart beating ever so rapidly. It sent chills down your spine, and electricity through your veins.

You wouldn't know it, but holding you in his arms like this sent the same feelings through Anakin. The bottom hem of your top had lifted ever so slightly when he picked you up, so his hands were able to feel your bare skin and it sent him into a frenzy.

He placed you on the bed before walking over to the other side. You laid on your side facing the middle, as did he. You were a mere inches apart, neither of you making an effort to create space or distance. No words were exchanged as the two of you just stared at each other for a few long moments. He broke the stare by leaning closer to you and placing a soft kiss on your forehead, mumbling a "Goodnight." into your skin.

Not long after, you fell asleep.

#anakin fanfiction #anakin skywalker #anakin x y/n #loverboy #star wars #anakin x reader #ani rambles #ani baby #live laugh love anakin skywalker #im obsessed #it's not even funny anymore #padawan #slay

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anakinthetrashking · 4 months

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Having thoughts, TLDR; explaining that Practicing Gratitude is just about learning to notice good things and retraining your brains focus area would be more helpful than simply saying "be grateful!"

I think a lot of the issue people have with being told to try like, gratitude journaling is that when people suggest it they never seem to give a good explanation?? Added to the fact that "self-care" and therapy terminology have been monetized, social media focuses on people's sanitized life highlight reels, and hashtag blessed out-of-touch influencers, and the frankly irritating Pinterest Perfect quotes and journals. I mean. There's just a ton to sort through there.

And like I've tried the gratitude thing!! And I know it's backed up by research!! But when you're in the depths and someone says something about being grateful, it is SO hard not to hear all the echos of "be grateful it's not worse", and the past shame of being cast in the light of "so ungrateful" when you're just having feelings and being upset about something, ya know?

But it finally clicked for me when I stopped using gratefulness language?? Because I also feel like that can be limiting, at least for me. The POINT of the whole exercise is to train your brain to notice good things around you, because obvs ur gonna be in a bad mood if all you notice is the bad!

Obvs it's taken a lot of work in a lot of areas to be at the point where I am, that life feels worth living more than not! But like, the more little good things you notice, the more it feels worth living. But like the gratitude language like I said just doesn't work for me lol

Especially like, the other day driving through the neighborhood I saw a woman going for a run, and she looked like she was struggling but also so determined!! And that was something that made me feel !!!!!! Like life is worth living and trying for!!

She's someone I've never met and may never see again, but seeing her living her life and trying made me want to keep trying too!

So for me trying to put that into a sentence for gratitude, it just takes the joy out I guess haha. "I'm grateful random neighbor was jogging"?? "I'm grateful I saw my neighbor jogging"???? It doesn't quite translate for me. But I could see it and focus on that feeling of fondness for a stranger, and inspiration to keep trying and that not everything is terrible all the time. Consciously focusing on something like that and letting it take up a big part of your day the way something bad might usually can feel really weird at first, but it's so nice once you lean into it??

#gratitude #mental health #mental illness #life is worth living #ok to rb #but keep ur negativity off my post plz and thx #btw goldkirk if you see this your 5 things a day gratitude posts are so good and important and inspiring #i just get hung up on the language of things sometimes bc i misunderstand things!!#and then when i figure it out and share what i figured out ppl are like oh thats what it was the entire time didnt u know?#and im like NO I DID NOT KNOW WHY WAS THIS NOT EXPLAINED CLEARLY #im so good at not knowing things i guess 😌#ani rambles

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