At the back end of 2013, I came across the 365 Grateful Project; a project started by Hailey Bartholomew which depicted the extraordinary power of gratitude through photographic journal entries spanning for an entire year.
As the course of my life had changed so much throughout 2013 and as I’d made some life-changing decisions about my future which were to ultimately take effect in 2014, I decided that the New Year should mean a new start, and I too decided to document all the things I had been grateful for in the year 2014. Beginning on January 1st, I attempted to take a photograph every day of something that made me smile, something that made me happy, something that I was thankful for, or just something small and significant that had changed my day or made that day a little more bearable.
Of course, as the year progressed and ‘life’ got in the way, my ability to take a snapshot every single day waned and I failed to accomplish the main premise of this project. I did however try to make up for it on subsequent days, and I have used old photos and photos from the internet to demonstrate my gratitude. Many of the things I have been grateful for this year may have been duplicated along the way but I have tried to find something different for each day of the year.
As 2014 draws to a close, I feel it’s only right that I should share with you my 365 Grateful Project. As it is so long and there’s a lot of photos and information to put on show, I’m going to split it up into a series of three.
My project contains pictures of people, places and things. It also includes names of people who have made my life enjoyable and who have impacted me in some way. If you’re included then you’ve inspired me and made me happy. Hopefully this project can inspire some of you to maybe do the same and create your own 365 Grateful Project.
Day 1) My friend Amelia. She always sends me insipirng words at exactly the right time. Friends for life.
Day 2) Sunrise over Glasgow. Crisp and fresh.
Day 3) Fleetwood Mac’s Don’t Stop – makes me feel positive and reminds me to keep looking forward.
Day 4) The ability to push myself a little harder in the gym, even when I don’t feel up to it.
Day 5) Davie and Ricardo – regulars from the pub. Making me smile and being part of the furniture.
Day 6) My friends who listen to my woes. Today it’s Ste Boyle.
Day 7) Carrot cake. Baking is therapeutic.
Day 8) Sunshine through my window, casting rays upon my pale, sorrowful face.
Day 9) The gym at work. Lucky to be able to work out while at work.
Day 10) Strathclyde Fire and Rescue Service and Glasgow, for being my home for the last five and a half years, helping me grow as a person.
Day 11) The gift of time. Allowing me to witness small things such as sunrises and sunsets.
Day 12) Digital Radio – providing a variety of sounds on a dreary Sunday afternoon.
Day 13) Roasted sunflower seed recipe – warming and easy.
Day 14) Body Balance Class – helping me cope with stress and strain.
Day 15) Free magazines. Freebies are great!
Day 16) Fresh crisp mornings. Cool air in my lungs.
Day 17) Salmon and spinach. Healthy meals.
Day 18) Brian and Jamie from work – stupidity and funny stories to brighten my day.
Day 19) Edinburgh. Living so close to Scotland’s Capital, I sometimes take it for granted.
Day 20) Silence and a clean kitchen at work. Aaaa, peace.
Day 21) My mum and Jez: giving up their time and patience for me. I don’t know what I’d do without them.
Day 22) Purely materialistic but SkyPlanner.
Day 23) Clear Glasgow nights and not getting soaked in the rain.
Day 24) Payday – money towards a new laptop! Yipee.
Day 25) Entering the Great Manchester Run – better get training!
Day 26) Hot baths and red wine.
Day 27) Warren – cooking on the nightshifts. I’ll miss him when I leave.
Day 28) Grateful for the chance and opportunity to travel. Getting on a plane and leaving to embark on a new adventure excites me.
Day 29) The little Chinese guy who comes in the Hall. Gave us money for Chinese New Year.
Day 30) Bryan Murrin – putting a hamper together for my last shift at the Hall and for being so flexible with my working hours.
Day 31) Claire Brown.
Day 32) Kim Steven.
Day 33) Too tight work trousers – an indication I need to hit the gym.
Day 34) Saying yes to dating. Why not?
Day 35) Running in the Glasgow rain.
Day 36) Jack Vettriano exhibition at the Kelvingrove Museum – “I live in a world of heartbreak…I just seem to be more creative when I’m in some kind of emotional distress”, adding, “It’s been four years of soul-searching – nicotine, alcohol, anti-depressants, temazepam.”
Day 37) Confidence. Talking and chatting with a new man – Matt.
Day 38) My mum and Jez, again. Helping me clean my flat. Wouldn’t have been able to do it without them.
Day 39) Friends – nice meal out with Amelia.
Day 40) Roast chicken dinners. Yum.
Day 41) An elderly couple who told me to keep running while out on my jog. Made me smile and brightened my day.
Day 42) Adecco for getting me an interview.
Day 43) New job.
Day 44) Stamina and strength in boxing class
Day 45) Appreciating the finer things in life – today is baking and cooking.
Day 46) Family and friends – Jez’s 50th.
Day 47) Decent weather so I could go for a run.
Day 48) Ability to make my dad smile by making him cakes and soup.
Day 49) Kayley – always has good advice and can count on her to say the right things to me.
Day 50) Getting up super early to work out – giving me more time in the evening to relax.
Day 51) My patience when creating works of art, like Stacey’s hen do cake!
Day 52) Fridays! First Friday of the year where I’ve had that Friday feeling.
Day 53) Stacey’s Hen Do.
Day 54) Buddhist temples and friends.
Day 55) Decent conversation and chats at work.
Day 56) Matt
Day 57) Matt
Day 58) The guys at work – bought me gin for a leaving present. Last night at Springburn. Been like a second family; I’ll miss them.
Day 59) Glasgow. Just. Glasgow.
Day 60) Pat for buying me lunch and the guys who turned up to my leaving do.
Day 61) Grateful for the chance to start a new chapter of my life. Bye bye Glasgow.
Day 62) Boxing class.
Day 63) My brother for reminding me not to take life too seriously and to learn to laugh at myself sometimes.
Day 64) Fresh air and sunshine.
Day 65) Isaac – cutest little laugh and growing up so fast.
Day 66) Matt. He makes me laugh.
Day 67) Lauren and our friendship. Here’s to Manchester.
Day 68) First Sunday in a month where I’ve not been super busy – it’s good to relax.
Day 69) Glorious sunshine on a March morning. Not a cloud in the sky.
Day 70) Early morning bird songs – spring is on its way.
Day 71) Travelling on the train first class with work and the opportunity to work in London.
Day 72) Early shifts at work – going home at 4:30pm
Day 73) Not being offered a full time contract with work but this giving me the opportunity to move on to something new.
Day 74) Weddings and great friends.
Day 75) Football and friends.
Day 76) Two wood pigeons perched on the garage roof. Nature is good.
Day 77) Baths and quiet times.
Day 78) Warm, sunny Preston.
Day 79) My brother.
Day 80) Claire and Jack, rainbows and a clear day.
Day 81) Saturday night in with Alex and Isaac.
Day 82) New job.
Day 83) Dan for letting me get involved with the Forest School.
Day 84) Day off to see my Dad, go shopping and head to the gym.
Day 85) Fresh air. Again.
Day 86) New job. Again.
Day 87) Interviews. Boost my confidence.
Day 88) Remembering my Nanna.
Day 89) Having two mums on Mother’s Day; some people don’t even have one.
Day 90) My brilliant family, however disjointed and unconventional we are.
Day 91) An early night.
Day 92) My legs so I can run.
Day 93) Cheap travel to Glasgow.
Day 94) A late shift in work.
Day 95) Reuben and Jason – friends.
Day 96) Lunch with Liz.
Day 97) Fresh nights and boxing club.
Day 98) The gift of time.
Day 99) Sunshine on an April Day.
Day 100) The canals of Preston.
Day 101) Sunrise over Haslam Park.
Day 102) Sheffield by day and night.
Day 103) Sleep.
Day 104) Time off.
Day 105) Manchester. So much to answer for.
Day 106) Blossom on the trees – Spring has sprung.
Day 107) Sunset over Haslam Park.
Day 108) Friends in bands – The Templebys.
Day 109) Food.
Day 110) Easter Sunday.
Day 111) My bike.
Day 112) Blackbirds feeding on bird feed in the garden.
Day 113) Alex.
Day 114) Warmer weather.
Day 115) Stacey.
Day 116) Life.
Day 117) Countryside and the outskirts if Preston. Sunset over the fields. Lucky to live near such beauty.
Day 118) Volunteers at Larches and Savick Boxing Club for taking the time out to train so many people.
Day 119) My legs again. Grateful for my health.
Day 120) Two sparrow chicks in the garden.
Day 121) Cheap rucksack in the sale for my travels.
Day 122) One year since I went to China – the trip that changed my life.
Day 123) – Hip Hop BBQ -Laughing with friends.
So, that’s it for Part One of my 365 Grateful Project. I know some of these things can seem trivial or unimportant, and there is some repetition, but for me they were the things that sometimes got me through a bad day, or just made me stand back and appreciate life for what it is, to be thankful for the small things and to be grateful for what life has given me.
Part Two to follow soon.
Chasing Amy-Lou 