The Three Good Things Experiment was the perfect excuse for me to begin writing in a newly purchased journal I had placed in storage for over a year. The purpose of the experiment was to stop and reflect on three things, for which I was the most grateful for, happiest about, or more content with at the end of each day for five consecutive days. When starting the experiment, I felt it was quiet obvious for what gratitude consisted on, therefore at the end of the first day, which was Monday, November 28, I wrote down being grateful for my mother, father and RA. To me, it made sense that gratitude was only towards people. However, as the next few days continued, I would consistently be aware of things that happened during the day, in order to remember to record it in my journal. This led me to begin jotting down things like the rain, my blanket, and milk as objects that filled my day with happiness and for which I was grateful. This made the experiment not just another assignment, but rather a conscious effort to, at the end of the day, recollect all these positive emotions and strive to do reciprocal actions in thankfulness.
Writing about items rather than people during the next four days did not mean I am primarily focused on material possessions, but rather the connection and meaning behind each item. For example, on the second day, Tuesday, November 29, I noted, “Give thanks to milk for always providing me with energy and warmth.” The reason is that my father has always made sure that at the end of every night, my sister and I drink a full glass of milk to make us warm and fall asleep quicker, since the apartment would be tremendously cold during the winter months because we came to the United States unaware of the conditions we would encounter the first several days. With the Three Good Things Experiment, it made me anxious to see what was in store for the next days as I began realizing that good things happen always, even if they are small and sometimes insignificant. Furthermore, unconscious that the five-day period was over, I began writing for the sixth days because it became apart of my bedtime routine, and somehow pushed to seek positivity in the days to come even if I have deadlines to meet.
Here is my "Three Good Things" list:
Day 1: Monday, November 28, 2016
- For my mother. She called me fifteen times to make sure I was safe from the terrible rain and told me to buy an umbrella.
- For my father. He helped me find a summer internship at the Ecuadorean government.
- For my RA Taylor. For greeting me with a huge smile as we bother walked down the building to our 8 am classes.
Day 2:Tuesday, November 29, 2016
- For milk. Milk always provides me with warmth and energy and I usually drink it before bed, so I drank four glasses today.
- For yesterday’s rain. It showed me the amount of love God has and restores the climate to normal after the terrible winter storms.
- For my special blanket. My mother made knitted it specifically for this winter since my form room barely receives any heat.
Day 3: Wednesday, November 30, 2016
- For the Catholic Center at NYU. For emailing me today and asking me to get involved in Church and in their fellows program, as well join the Wednesday Bible study.
- For my suitemates. For always brightening up my day when I walk into our apartment and see the twinkingly Christmas lights.
- For the Pope. He is to trying to restore peace and safety into the poorest communities, since many other Latin American countries battle with the same conditions.
Day 4: Thursday, December 1, 2016
- For the sunrise. I forgot to close the shades last night and set my alarm and allowed me to wake up at the perfect time
- For the trees. I need to take a photo of something that resembled our veins and saw some trees and realized that they are the ones that bring oxygen to our blood stream.
- For my sister. For staying up with me past her curfew and singing to me as I studied.
Day 5: Friday, December 2, 2016
- For my elementary school teachers. For helping me learn the basic concepts in math because I helped my sister with some very tricky eighth grade geometry.
- For my cousins. Today is one of their high school graduation and they invited us, although we live many miles away.
- For my journal. For allowing me to keep track of everything I need to do and mostly writing little pieces of advice I receive.
