This is it! The final collection of FIGs for February 2025. A huge thank-you to everyone who participated in this gratitude journey and to those who cheered us on from the sidelines.
At the end of 28 days of daily gratitude, here are a few final reflections from me:
In the comment section of Week #1, Diane raised an interesting point – what about FIGs that feel vivid in the moment but fade as the day goes on? She wrote:
“Sometimes I’ll come across something and think, “I’m so grateful for that!” and then by the time I sit down to write in my journal, I’ve forgotten what that thing was. I’m experimenting with keeping a list on my phone so I can jot them down when they come, but this doesn’t quite feel like the right solution because a) I’m trying to spend less time on my phone, and 2) I feel like the logistics of writing it down takes me out of the moment of gratitude in a way that feels performative to me.
So maybe I need to make peace with the fact that some gratitudes are fleeting, like the moment they are in and not remembering it does not make it less legitimate? Or maybe I need to find other ways to let the moment inhabit my being? Maybe if I am aggressively grateful for things, collecting many many many gratitudes, then the odds are that more moments will stick in my memory, like some kind of numbers game? Or maybe I’m just over-thinking this?”
Her words stuck with me. This “fleeting gratitude” feels a bit like forgetting the plot of a book. It is shocking how quickly I forget even the most significant of details, but I rarely forget how the book made me feel.
Moving forward, I’ll continue jotting down Happy Things in my planner (which I am already in the habit of doing spontaneously throughout the week). I will forget to list many happy things. But hopefully I won’t forget how they made me feel. I can reach the end of a day “forgetting the plot” but remembering the positive emotions.
Sometimes we pass a bed of flowers, pause, and appreciate their beauty. Other times, we pick a few, bring them home, and their presence reminds us to savour that beauty. But we can’t pick all the flowers. And isn’t there something magical about never knowing when we’ll stumble upon a lovely patch of wild daisies?
After Kae’s guest post last week, I became moderately obsessed with determining which Winnie-the-Pooh character most closely resembles my personality. Three different Myers-Briggs tests labeled me as an ISTJ – which apparently translates to Eeyore. Then, thanks to Michelle’s recommendation, I took an online quiz specifically designed to determine one’s Winnie-the-Pooh character. The first time I got Rabbit, which felt spot on. But when I took it a second time, I landed back at Eeyore. I’d say I’m mostly Eeyore with a dose of Rabbit in the mix.
I had to chuckle when I read part of Rabbit’s description:
I literally mention organizing my sock drawer as part of a “perfect” night in the About section of my blog.
Speaking of personality tests, check out this question on one of the Myers-Briggs! I laughed out loud at the last option.
FIG COLLECTORS AROUND THE INTERWEBS
- Sarah | Quiet library time + a preschool playdate
- Diane | Cadbury mini eggs + a 6 lb 13.9 oz cabbage*
- San | Crackling fire + economic blackout
- Allison | Curling (the ice sport variety) + Bluey bookmarks
*Diane wins for the most hilarious and unexpected FIG this week. A 6 lb 13.9 oz cabbage!! It just so happens that this particular cabbage weighs more than any of her children did at birth. Can you hear me laughing all the way from Nova Scotia?
- Sophie | Kangaroos + fiction writing
- Rachel | The twins can walk! + a free pedicure
- Stephany | The 48th Survivor series + St. Patrick’s Day decorations
- Michelle | Pancakes + leaving social media
And look at this – Michelle miniaturized the F.I.G. Collective printable (of course she did) and said: “I thought I’d send this photo of my newest dollhouse tenant working on his FIG worksheet!” Can you even? Nicole you MUST be dying right now. I am.
- Lindsay | A surprise Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup + the F.I.G. Collective
- Kyria | Tomasz (the jolly guide) + Zapiekanki (chances are you’ll need to hop on over to her post for a translation)
- Lisa | Beavers at the zoo + kids who love to read
- Julie | Curried pumpkin + parking tickets
Julie sent me a copy of her completed printable and the following message:
“With everything going on in the world (especially in my country), it sometimes felt strange to keep track of these things, but over all it helped my mental health to remember the good things. Thank you for this gentle practice.”
- Melissa | Finishing a 3000-piece puzzle + a beautiful butterfly
- Jenny | College campuses + Agatha Christie
- Katy | Modern medicine/doctors + Watching That Darn Cat! for Family Film night
- Daria | New York City + a massage
Here’s a sign Daria spotted while walking through NYC. Who can relate?
- Engie | Blanche the Puppy + yoga with Hannah the Dog
- Suzanne | Completing a tedious house project + homemade cupcakes
- Joy | Farm-fresh eggs + snow days
Joy (O’Toole) also sent me a picture of her completed F.I.G. tracker. It has brought me so much joy to see hand-written collections of FIGs.
- “My” Joy | Photobooks with Elisabeth [I loved this too!] + nice people at church
In addition to sending me a photo of her tracker, she said: “This was a fun exercise! I suggest a tradition!“
mbmom11 had to dig deep, but she found FIGs!
“…the few showers were hot. And, when I lost my phone, I found it 4 hours later at work- sitting demurely by the printer where I left it. Everyone else was too busy to bother it. So one FIG. My cat is disappointed in my forgetfulness, but he consented to a picture to make it more dramatic.”
Jacquie reminded us all that there are FIGs and FRUSTRATIONs, often stemming from the same experience.
- FRUSTRATION: Hot water tank – discovered water leaking 3 days before going out of town
- FIG: Was able to get it replaced day before we left
- FRUSTRATION: Lunch order was wrong and had to send back
- FIG: Order was fixed and at the end of the meal was given $20 gift cards
- FRUSTRATION: Dinner bill was overcharged to the tune of $731 instead of $70.31 and wasn’t noticed until after I paid the bill; staff tried 3 debit machines to refund the money and none worked
- FIG: Restaurant gave us cash back and our meal for free
- FRUSTRATION: Due to leaving the restaurant later than we planned, we returned to our car with an expired meter which resulted in a $60 parking ticket
- FIG: I paid the parking right away and only had to pay $30
“The other picture I included (it is definitely a FIG) is of the beautiful sunrise I woke up to yesterday, the last FIG day. What a wonderful way to end this monthly awareness endeavour.“
Jacquie continued: “Thank you so much for organizing this [you’re welcome – thanks for participating]. I was in quite a funk through January and this really lifted my spirits. I also had my husband do this and we would ask each other, “Hey, what’s your FIG today?” [Isn’t this adorable?!] It doesn’t dismiss life’s frustrations, but it helps to soften the blow a bit when you take time to see the bright side too.”
ELISABETH’S FIGS
22 Feb (Saturday)
- 173 | The thrift-store purple sweater I bought. The colour looks nice on me.
- 174 | Unexpectedly spotting Jan at a thrift store!
- 177 | The joy and relief of being in PJs at the end of a busy day.
- 179 | Seeing F.I.G. posts in my blog feed.
23 Feb (Sunday)
- 180 | Big, fluffy snowflakes.
- 181 | The night-air silence while out shovelling with Indy in the dark.
- 182 | When the kids use big words properly. It’s hilarious!
- 183 | A clean kitchen – finally.
24 Feb (Monday)
- 186 | Supper – everything was delicious and everyone told me so. It’s nice to have that work and effort appreciated…
- 187 | A bedtime snuggle with Indy.
- 189 | Black coffee. Really!
25 Feb (Tuesday)
- 190 | Sunshine melted some of the ice.
- 191 | Positive digits outside.
26 Feb (Wednesday)
- 194 | Finishing a fantastic book. So satisfying.
- 195 | A delicious homemade “gourmet” grilled cheese. Also very satisfying.
- 196 | New nail polish.
- 198 | Riding on the chairlift with Indy.
- 199 | Feeding Ferrari the fish.
- 200 | Falling asleep in 5 minutes with warm Magic Bags at my feet.
27 Feb (Thursday)
- 201 | Leftovers for supper – no cooking required.
- 202 | Micronaps.
- 205 | JOHN IS HOME!!!!!!
28 Feb (Friday)
- 206 | Sunshine.
- 207 | To be Canadian. [After I finished watching coverage of the Oval Office exchange between Trump, Vance and President Zelensky, I had a huge swelling of national pride. Canada/our leadership have innumerable flaws, but at the end of the day I am so grateful to call Canada my home.]
I’m currently participating in a Bible study of Philippians at church and this verse stopped me in my tracks:
Every time you cross my mind, I break out in exclamations of thanks to God. Philippians 1:3 (The Message)
As our F.I.G. Collective Challenge comes to a close, I do have exclamations of thanks – not just for the gratitude practice itself, but for the sense of camaraderie we’ve built along the way. Together, we’ve searched for glimmers of joy in these dark and unsettling times and found that gratitude has a way of lighting the path forward. In sharing our FIGs, we’ve reminded one another that even in the hardest seasons, hope is never lost. Thank you for showing up and for demonstrating that gratitude – especially when practiced together – can be a positive, powerful force.
Happy FIG collecting my friends <3
Your turn:
- Do you have a favourite FIG from the month of February?
- Which Winnie-the-Pooh character do you mostly closely resemble (emotionally, not physically)?
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Ally Bean
So much gratitude in one place! Good on all of you to focus and share for a month. Well done.
Michelle G.
What a wonderful wrap-up, Elisabeth! I have loved seeing everyone’s FIGs all month. It was sure uplifting during these troubled times, when it’s very easy to succumb to dispair. I’ll bookmark this post to help cheer me up in March! I think the cabbage wins for most original FIG!
Elisabeth
The fact she WEIGHED a cabbage. Hilarious, right?
And anytime I need to be cheered up, I’ll just reflect on the fact my FIG printable has been miniaturized. That thrills me to no end!
central calif. artist Jana
Three thoughts:
1. Several times I’ve ended up ISTJ on Myers-Briggs. Sometimes I am INTJ. I’m interested to know your Ennegram # now, wondering if we mesh on that too.
2. Don’t you love the Message paraphrase? Sometimes it makes me laugh aloud!
3. You can gain a bit more understanding of what happened in the Oval Office here: https://www.billoreilly.com/b/The-Ukraine-Blues/-400239050910824401.html There is a strong undercurrent that we don’t see on the surface of the shoutfest—super interesting!
4. I think you might enjoy the Yada Yada Prayer Group series of book by Neta Jackson. (Did I already tell you this?)
Elisabeth
Argh. I had a comment all written out in response and bungled it up. I’ll write a truncated version.
1. My Ennegram is 6.
2. I only recently purchased a copy of this translation. I think when I restart reading through the Bible (I have about a month to go before I reach the end of my current reading plan), I’m going use The Message.
3. I did go read the article and thanks for linking to it. I agree that global politics have so many layers; what may seem like an easy “fix” from some angles of course has many considerations. I also agree that we live in a world with unfair rules – tragic but undeniably true. All that said, I found Trump and Vance’s treatment of a war-time president utterly inexcusable and I was, frankly, gobsmacked. I am not American and don’t pretend to understand the nuances of American politics, but as someone who had a grandparent serve in WWII (surviving a torpedo attack), it grieves me to see what appears to be history repeating itself. I shall end there!
4. You did mention this – I’ll admit I haven’t gotten around to checking it out yet, so thanks for the reminder!
Suzanne
Thank you so much for initiating this practice of gratitude, Elisabeth! It’s been a worthwhile challenge, and a definite mood boost to see so many posts about gratitude all over the Internet!
Elisabeth
Thanks for participating. I so enjoyed reading about all your FIGs <3
Maria
I took the quiz and came out Tigger. This is pleasing as Tigger was my childhood nickname! My little sister gave us all Pooh names – she was Roo and I was tigger (because tigger is Roo’s best friend), our older sister was Pooh, our mom was Kanga, and dad was Owl (though often called Wol). My kids and nieces and nephew actually use Kanga as my mom’s grandma name.
This round of up FIGs has as always been a delight. While I was atrocious at recording them, I did make a conscious effort to note them. Thanks for running this!
Elisabeth
Aww. Love that your childhood nickname mirrors your natural Winnie the Pooh character. And your mom goes by Kanga! How adorable is that?!
NGS
I am Rabbit. There is no debate. There is no middle ground. I am an anxious mess.
The highlight of February for me was when my brother-in-law and his family came to visit us. I need to remember that! When things are gloomy, make plans to do fun things. That seems obvious, but it’s clear that I need the reminder.
Elisabeth
Ha. At least it is clear-cut. That strikes me as something Rabbit would very much appreciate.
Injecting fun by spending time with people we love is a pretty awesome way to find FIGs. It can be hard to find motivation to do things that help us feel better (especially because most of them require energy which can be sorely lacking when our mood or emotions droop) – but it almost always pays off!
Lindsay
So, I took the Winnie the Pooh character test and got Tigger which was so unexpected and has thrown me for an emotional loop… On the topic of FIGs, though, collecting my own has been such a great exercise in a challenging month and reminded me that the glimmers really are out there if I look. Getting to read through everyone’s lists and stories has also been such a joy! Thank you, Elisabeth, for doing this and everyone for sharing their FIGs and flies and frustrations and everything <3
Elisabeth
I am not putting a ton of weight behind this quiz. If you know your Myers-Brigg, you could always compare that with the different Pooh characters. But Tigger is SO FUN. I definitely wish I was a Tigger (but I am not and never will be)!
Nicole MacPherson
I know we are not doing FIGs right now but my current FIG is Michelle and her tiny FIG worksheet. AM DEAD NOW THIS IS AMAZING.
This: “It is shocking how quickly I forget even the most significant of details, but I rarely forget how the book made me feel.” – this happens to me all the time! I’ll be like “I loved that book” and then someone will bring up a specific point and I’ll just shrug because I don’t really remember. This happens more often than you might think!
I’ve always thought I was a Tigger. But sometimes I’m Pooh bear, needing a little snack.
Michelle G.
Awww, thank you, Nicole!
Elisabeth
Nicole, when she sent me that picture the VERY FIRST THING I THOUGHT OF WAS YOU. Isn’t it too much. Like…actually. It’s too much.
I am so horrible at remember plot points – even big ones. I’m the same with movies. I could watch (and have) some movies over and over again and have literally no idea how things end. I think I have a lot of things to manage in my brain and so I triage what’s important. Ditto with books.
Snacks are good!
Jenny
Ha, I’m glad you specified which Winnie the Pooh character do you resemble EMOTIONALLY- I’m starting to feel like physically, I resemble Winnie the Pooh. Anyway…
Thank you for the amazing month of figs! I can’t wait to read everyone’s posts (I’ve already read some, but not all.) It really did help. Although… thanks for reminding us that you are Canadian and we’re not (most of us, that is.) Is it too late to move???
Elisabeth
Jenny – YOU RAN LIKE 17 MILES one day. That is not very Pooh-like. You are definitely a Tigger <3
I'm not American and I don't weigh in on American politics very often because it is clearly not within my sphere of influence or knowledge. BUT, I was so saddened/horrified/shocked when I watched the scene play out on Friday and...well...I really am so glad to be Canadian. I have family living in Europe which seems tremendously vulnerable these days. I had a grandfather that served in WWII (and two great grandfathers that served in WWI). We don't tend to be very vocal in our national pride, but it runs deep and recent events have really driven home the fact that I love my country of origin <3
It is not too late to move, but unfortunately you will never be able to recreate Florida weather up here in Canada.
J
I’m Pooh Bear, which sounds right to me. My BFF says she is Eyore, not based on the test but just because.
Laughing that you put parking tickets as one of my favorite things. HA! It did make me happy to see those people ticketed, though! And it makes me happy now every time I walk or drive by and see the area clear or being used properly. And Jaquie’s dinner bill! ACK! What a great exercise, thank you again.
Elisabeth
Jacquie’s bill reminds me of the year in high school when I worked in the cafeteria. One day I rang up a piece of pizza and somehow managed to get the total to something in the $1,000s and COULD NOT FIX the darn thing. I remember being so frazzled and my supervisor was so frustrated. It only happened once, but it was memorable. At least she got a free meal out of it, but I wonder if she thinks it was worth all the stress.
People parking illegally is such a nuisance (and a safety hazard), so I can 100% see why that would have made your FIG list. And, I’m sure by calling and reporting the issue, you’ve improved other law-abiding citizens days as well.
Melissa
Thanks for organising this Elisabeth. It was great to have everyone joining in and to see the range of FIGs. The miniature FIG list is adorable. I came out as Christopher Robin in the quiz which is probably accurate.
Lisa's Yarns
Wait are you an ISTJ as well?? That is my personality type! I got Piglet when I took the test but Rabbit seems like a more accurate description, but I also have Eeyore tendencies.
Thank you so much for hosting this challenge. Feb was a month when I REALLY needed to look for the FIGs.
Ernie
Dang – I meant to email you over the weekend, but I ended up preparing more food than I could’ve imagined when going into the weekend. Reg invited his 3 roomies (who are all from overseas) to stay at our house and they EAT.A.LOT. So I got thru some blogs on my list, but the not all and then I didn’t remember to send you an email. My back was breaking by the time I stretched out on the family room floor Saturday night after being on my feet cooking from 4:00 – 9:00 pm. Oof. (in good news, the food was much appreciated and we have leftovers).
My fav fig from Feb was probably a shift in the weather by the end of the month. I was really tired of being stuck at home with my little charges during the week and we got out to a few parks when we had an unexpected burst of warmer weather. I also ran outside 3 times last week. A long-awaited visit from Ed a few Sundays ago when we enjoyed a family dinner and a hilarious game night ranks pretty high, along with the night last week when Mini called me, struggling to sleep again (this has been happening to her a lot when she’s about to travel) and after we hung up she went to sleep! I was thrilled to wake up and see a text from her that she’d managed to get 4.5 hours of sleep vs NO sleep.
While I tend to be an upbeat person who sees the bright side of things, I’ve struggled a bit in the months of Jan and Feb and this was a great exercise. I enjoyed reading all the other FIGs from fellow blog friends. Thanks for organizing this.
I don’t know about which character I’m most like – definitely not Tigger and definitely not Eeyore. Maybe Winnie?