This 'graffiti' is good for community

By Alana Smith Graffiti Gratitude Stops are coming to Eatonville GÇô a nationwide campaign to spread and experience gratitude through expressing gratefulness in an art form publically GÇô are coming to Eatonville during the month of November. Places in Eatonville will act as reminders or Gratiltude Stops, where a person walking by can mentally note something they are grateful for and write what they are grateful for that day on a "Gratitude GraffitiGÇ¥ wall, a library card, on the sidewalk with chalk, or on a storefront window. Through art, people can contemplate, create and awaken a whole new perspective on how to look at how great life can be. The Gratitude Graffiti Project is based on a simple concept, supported by positive psychology research and literature that one of the most important steps to wellness and happiness is to assume a daily practice of gratitude. The practicing of a daily habit of being grateful for what we have in our lives creates a sense of happiness, a sense of well-being. Our goal is to create a reminder by utilizing the community to creatively engage each passerby and member of the community to take a moment to be grateful. The Town Hall will be posting a banner and have window markers available for those wanting to write or draw their gratitude thoughts down. The Eatonville Family Agency will have a board where you can jot down your gratefulness on Post-It notes and post them. We are hoping many of the businesses in Eatonville will create Gratitude Stops for passersby to contribute to. Whatever you decide will be your practice of gratitude, write it, draw it, create it GÇô but most of all, enjoy it. The Gratitude Graffiti Project is a great example of how individuals and businesses who are passionate about their community can engage with their neighbors in public spaces. It not only connects people with each other and supports local businesses, it does so in a way that boosts morale in the town by reminding people to take the time we so often forget to take to reflect on the things in our lives that we are most grateful for.
Alana Smith is executive director of Eatonville Family Agency.

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