Count Your Blessings

This week has been another corker on the writing front! The Cherry Tree Cafe word count is around 34,500  now and the story is flowing along. My main character Lizzie is rather keen at the moment on twisting my carefully planned plot and going out of her way to surprise me which makes the novel even more exciting to write as I'm never one hundred per cent sure what she is going to suggest next.

On a different, but writing related note, I was wondering if any of you had made a 'blessings' or 'happiness' jar at the start of the year and if so, how are you getting on with it? I was introduced to the idea via a post a friend shared on Facebook.

Basically, you start off with any container which has a lid, in our case a couple of Kilner jars, (glass is ideal as you can see inside), and decorate according to your own personal taste. As you can see from the photo we opted for bells and ribbons as that was what we had to hand at the end of the festive celebrations. However, the next bit, is even more entertaining than the decorating - every evening you write a note, or even just a word, which encapsulates something good that has happened during the day and pop it in. It can be anything - a kind word from a friend, a parking space that appeared when you needed it most, an unexpected gift or even the appearance the sun - you get the idea!

My daughter and I made ours on New Years Day and so far have managed to keep it going. The exercise has been a real eye opener and reminded me that, even on the bleakest, roughest days, there has been something positive, some little gem worth remembering.

I admit that quite a few of my notes have had a writing theme but that just goes to show the value I put on my literary efforts. I'm already looking forward to the end of the year when we open the jars and take a moment to count our blessings!

Why don't you give it a go or if you already have let me know how you are getting on?

H-J