Thursday, February 15, 2018

#thegoodlist


Last summer my husband and I sold our Atlanta home, packed up, and headed west to Boise ID. The reasons for this move were many, but primarily we wanted to simplify our lives and make more time for our children and for each other. Despite careful planning and thorough goodbyes, the move was extremely hard.

Somewhere between arriving in Boise and finally buying a home here, I fell into a deep depression. Depression is not uncharted territory for me and I've created a sort of tool box that includes everything from taking care of my diet and exercising regularly to seeking professional help. For months after moving, even with support, I still felt a lingering heart ache. Around that time I started posting a daily "Good List" to Instagram stories. Gratitude and paying attention to the things that made me feel good — not healed or cured or even better but just good — each day became a prayer at the end of season of sorrow.

So many people have reached out to say how much they love the lists, or even just some thing from the day's list and that helped me feel connected in a way that social media had never made me feel before. Some of you have asked if you could play along. And a few have asked what the hell #thegoodlist is even.

To answer? #thegoodlist is a tiny but mighty hashtag by Erin Loechner at Design for Mankind. Erin posts her own good list to her Instagram feed, but as she says "The practicing is the good stuff.
The publishing? Entirely optional", which is really to say that there is no wrong way to create your own good list. I post mine daily to stories where it lives for the day and then disappear because I like that the lists, like the feelings inspired by them, aren't lasting. 

And thats the point entirely, no day or season is perfect but there is always some good to be shared if you pay attention. 

You can find me @stirandscribble on instragram any time you want to see the days list or share your own.