My Practicum Gratitude List

A lot of people who know me now probably wouldn't believe it, but I used to be an expert pessimist. I could ruminate on the worst aspects of any situation with the best of them. I've made several changes in my life in order to shift to a "glass half full" orientation; one of the things that helped me the most was to begin a "gratitude journal."

For the past few years, I've kept a notebook that contains lists of whatever I'm grateful for at that moment, however large ("I'm grateful for being able to visit my family at Christmas") or small ("I'm grateful for my flannel sheets"). I decided recently that I needed a practicum gratitude list. As any graduate student knows, many aspects of the practicum experience can be frustrating and annoying, but there are also many that can be appreciated. So, here's my current gratitude list for working at my practicum site:

- I'm grateful for being able to work almost exclusively with older adults and their families.

- I'm grateful for not having to search and interview for a new practicum placement every year.

- I'm grateful for having the opportunity to be involved in so many different rotations.

- I'm grateful for having a five-minute commute.

- I'm grateful for having my own desk and computer.

- I'm grateful for being able to work with bright, interesting, motivated colleagues who have similar professional interests.