A simple gratitude bowl can help us notice the everyday moments that support our emotional well-being. This article is part of the regularly featured A Time to Bloom column, where I share thoughts, reflections, words of wisdom, and insights from my experience as a board-certified health and wellness coach. Our well-being is so much more than just eating well and exercising—it’s about nurturing the whole self, one small step at a time.
By late October, signs of the season are everywhere—pumpkins on porches, fall wreaths, cooler mornings, black cats for us cat lovers, and Halloween candy waiting by the door. At my house, a few familiar decorations, like the black cat, pumpkins, and other pieces I pull out year after year, have become part of the rhythm of the season.
And maybe that is why this time of year feels like such a natural moment to think about another kind of harvest: the good things that have quietly gathered in our lives.
Over the years, we have talked about gratitude in several ways here at Unconditionally Her—through mindfulness, writing, connection, helping others, and simply learning to notice what is good around us. And there is good reason for that. Gratitude can support our emotional well-being, help shift our attention toward what is meaningful, and remind us that wellness is about much more than food and exercise.
But this month, I want to keep it simple.
One of the things I appreciate most about health and wellness coaching is that meaningful change does not always begin with a big goal. Often, it starts with a small, realistic action step—something simple enough that we can actually imagine ourselves doing it.
So here is mine for this season.
A Simple Gratitude Bowl for November
Every Halloween, I pull out the same black plastic witch’s cauldron I have used as a candy bowl for decades. It is nothing fancy, but it has become one of those familiar pieces that come out year after year.
This year, when Halloween is over, I am not putting it away. On November 1, my candy bowl is becoming a gratitude bowl. I plan to keep small slips of paper nearby and, between then and Thanksgiving, jot down the ordinary things I am grateful for as I notice them. Not necessarily the big things.
A good cup of coffee—or a tall glass of iced tea if that’s your jam.
A cool morning.
A kind text.
Laughter.
A quiet evening at home.
A favorite song in the car.
A meal that turned out especially well.
Someone holding the door.
Finishing something I had been putting off.
The kinds of things we experience every day but may move past without giving them much thought. That is really the point.
Gratitude does not always require us to search for something profound. Sometimes it simply asks us to notice what is already there.
In health and wellness coaching, small action steps can help turn an intention into something tangible. “I want to be more grateful” is a lovely thought. Putting a slip of paper into a bowl when something good catches your attention turns that thought into a practice.
There are no rules for this one. You do not have to add something every day. You do not need beautifully written reflections or a special journal. The bowl does not even have to be pretty. Mine is going to be a Halloween cauldron.
Just notice. And when you do, write it down. Then, sometime around Thanksgiving, empty the bowl and read what you gathered. You may find that the real harvest was not in the bowl at all. It was in becoming a little more aware of how much goodness was tucked into the ordinary days along the way.
This month’s invitation: When Halloween is over, keep the bowl. On November 1, turn it into a gratitude bowl and begin harvesting the ordinary—one small thing at a time.
You may be surprised by how much was there all along.
You may discover that what you give has a way of giving something back to you, too.
Image Credit: Author Photo
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