Smarturday – 082424

avid vs. vapid

avid (adjective) – showing great enthusiasm for or interest in; eager

vapid (adjective) – without liveliness or spirit; dull or tedious; flat

Gratitude energizes appreciation for life. It helps you feel avid instead of vapid.

The change can be quite rapid if you shift your mindset and count your blessings.

Gratitude enlivens you.

Joy is the simplest form of gratitude.


-Karl Barth

By focusing on what you have as opposed to what you want, you can capture joy at any point in this present moment. With that upbeat perspective, you can plan goals and work on next steps; you can figure out how to build up a better life in your lane, something that you can then express even more gratitude for daily. Each day, if you make at least one thing better, whether that be a habit or skill you improve or a chore you complete, then you maintain momentum in a positive direction. You allow the inertia of gratitude to build by the day. It is not something that will ever run out; it is an infinitely renewable resource.

If the idea of creating a gratitude jar did not appeal to you, then how about considering a gratitude journal instead? By reflecting on your days in writing, you can begin to assess your attitude. Is your spirit showing in the scratches and script with an avid demeanor or a vapid vexation? How can you adjust your tone to focus on the positive aspects around?

Gratitude is riches.
Complaint is poverty.


-Doris Day

There are many ways to look at things. There is often an initial, surface-level reaction as well as a deeper, more well-thought-out reflection. Well, which already sounds better – snap reactions or thorough reflections? If we find what we can be thankful for, then we identify joyful thoughts. With those encouraging feelings in mind, we can enjoy what we choose to focus on and feel grateful for. Allow the beauty that is available everywhere to spark wonder and invigorate gratitude within you. Feel your soul come alive as you begin to thrive. Not all minutes will be full of bliss; search for grateful moments to not miss. Stand tall and revel in an avid atmosphere that is full of cheer. Vapid? What sapped it?

We can complain because rose bushes have thorns, or rejoice because thorn bushes have roses.


-Abraham Lincoln

I avidly hope to heal vapidity.

So, what prompts proclivity?

I try my best; it falls to the rest.

It is not a test; I do not say in jest.

I have gratitude nonetheless.

Maybe it is wise. Maybe it is dumb. Time will tell.