One practice that has always helped me get through dark night is a gratitude practice, so I thought I would start a thread here. Please chime in if you feel like it. Of course, it does not need to be 3; there can be more or less.

3 things I'm grateful for today are:
1) the whole day of rest and sleep
2) delicious food I had
3) DhO website for the support to practice

P.S. I'm not sure if this thread is in the appropriate categories. Please feel free to move it.

Yeah I used to do that when I read Martin Seligman's Flourish book which is quite good, especially his focus on GRIT. Of course after a while I needed to do this less. It just looked like another ritual. It's better than doing nothing and taking things for granted. I sometimes thank God for the good experiences I have with the complete understanding of their impermanence. You can incorporate these happy memories with a metta/focus on positive practice to condition a happier state of mind.

-the pine grove next to where I live
-living in this time where contemplative technology is spreading and improving
-how beautiful September is in the place where I live
-the guys I met here in the DhO and in the BG community

I wanted to make a post a while back, called something like "Why on earth gratitude is not a brahma vihara?"
It seems to fit very well in that list of positive feelings...

yeah ... I totally agree, gratitude should be on one of the brahma-viharas. It has this nice warm quality to it.

1) your guys'posts
2) relaxing day without worrying too much about practice (hell ... whatever)
3) the gathering with relatives

I guess let's see how long this will become another routine. But then, I don't think it's necessary to post every day, maybe just when I feel like it