2,019 Moments of Gratitude

One September afternoon, I was embracing the anticipation of receiving a “P Sweater”, a Penn junior class tradition in which the juniors have the opportunity to purchase a crewneck sweater featuring an embroidered letter “P” and their year of graduation. As the junior Nursing Chair of Class Board, the student government branch that coordinates class-wide traditions such as the sweater orders and distribution, I was especially excited to participate in this tradition by receiving the sweaters and wearing them for a photoshoot. I was pondering how to market the sweater sale via social media…and was aiming to promote it as an unforgettable, must-do element of the Penn experience. I asked myself, “if the act of receiving this sweater is such a monumental moment, what else would make it on my list of Penn memories if I were to have one?” My brain flooded with snapshots of countless positive experiences of my three years of college so far. I knew I loved the college life. I knew I loved Penn. And I knew I wanted to do something, at least for myself and ideally for others, with the experiences I was so fortunate to have.

My reflecting led me to decide that I would begin a list of small college memories that I have been grateful for. I would plan to list 2,019 (yes, two thousand, one hundred and nineteen) of them by the time I graduate in May 2019. This seemed daunting at first but I was beyond eager to dedicate myself to utilizing my remarkable long-term memory to cherish some of the best years of my life so far. I decided to set nearly no expectations for the outcome of this personal project. The only expectations I had were that I would develop a more positive outlook on my life and use this to benefit others in some way.

I decided to allow my “memories” on the list to be as minute as I deemed appropriate. The only criteria I established for them was that they had to be positive and had to have occurred within the vicinity of Penn’s campus and surrounding area. The list originally consisted of a variety of moments ranging from “eating dinner at President Gutmann’s house” to “setting a new barbell squat personal record” to “receiving an Amazon package in less than twenty four hours.” I soon realized that regardless of how monumental the memory was, it was still significant in that it gave me one more thing to appreciate in my life.

A week after I began my list, I noticed alterations in my own thoughts. While further developing a deeper sense of gratitude, I also fostered my reflective skills, so much that reflecting on even the most minute moments became even easier than it previously was. I found myself more likely to disregard negative experiences because there were so many positive ones to embrace instead. Every once in a while, I would find myself looking back at my list to ease feelings of frustration, fear, or doubt as a college student. My list was a reminder of how many moments of my college experience I can truly appreciate – all written out in front of me. The affirmative and impressed reactions my friends displayed when I told them about my project motivated me to remain committed to completing this list.

It is now February and I am approaching 500 memories on the list. As I have deepened my sense of gratitude, I have also recently noticed how much I strive to seek value in nearly everything I do. Subconsciously considering the meaning of nearly each of my actions, accomplishments, and interactions with others has become practically second nature. Not only have I contemplated the moments that benefited me in some way, but I also have contemplated the ones that have contributed to frustration and uncertainty. It is so important to acknowledge both the uplifting and disappointing aspects of life as well the emotions that accompany them. Choosing awareness over ignorance of negative experiences has increased my genuine desire to learn from them and to remind myself that God will never give us more than we can handle.

Today I attended daily mass for the first time in a while and I found an aspect of Father George’s homily very relevant to my project. He mentioned sharing the gifts God gave us with others to help them – something that I have heard many times, but today I heard it again in a new way. I suddenly realized that through telling other people about my list, I am sharing my gifts of thankfulness, optimism, and dedication with each person I inform about this project. I do not expect them to create their own list of over 2,000 memories from the past few years like I did. I do hope, though, that I can inspire them to find at least one more thing to appreciate in their life and allow that tiny increase in gratitude to alter their mindset in newfound way.

Breanne Mastromarino is a third year nursing student hailing from Northern NJ. She is easily one the friendliest people you will ever encounter! She does not live in household, but her welcoming presence is an integral part of the Penn Newman Catholic community. She is a frequent guest blogger here and always shares relatable college life insights! She manages a food instagram @bergenbites201