On Mastodon, there’s a popular hashtag #3threegood things, which people use to create a gratitude list. I’ve been in the habit over doing a daily gratitude list of 10 items, as recommended by a 12 Step program I started several years ago, so I was excited to connect with others about good things in our lives.

Creativity is a kind of mindfulness. René Magritte says his goal is “to breath new life into the way we look at the ordinary things around us.” Rainer Maria Rilke finds inspiration in the simple, inconsiderable things in nature, which hardly anyone sees. Mary Oliver says, “To pay attention, this is our endless and proper work.” Anna Tivel says she’s always trying to “move around in a writer’s mind.”

It’s not a new idea to suggest journaling is good for creativity. Julia Cameron has her morning pages. Lynda Barry recommends a four-minute diary. I think this “three good things” method is enough. If you’re ready to add an additional challenge to it, if I may put on my pesky teacher hat: use complete sentences and tell us what it means to you. I could easily list “sleeping in” as one good thing, but it’s more evocative to say, “I slept in, and I woke up feeling less sick than the day before.”