Write a story about a cynic who has been told to start a "gratitude journal," and does so — begrudgingly.

Posted in Funny on Jul 26, 2024

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✍️ 55 stories

“Professor Tenpenny's Court-Ordered Gratitude” by Mary Wilkins

Submitted to Contest #261

Dear Mr. Camden: I have written you this letter to express my deep, abiding, and court-ordered gratitude. To accommodate your stipulated unwillingness to notice, obey, or acknowledge the existence of obvious and clearly-written caution signs with well-illustrated pictographs, I have crafted this letter in the form of a list so that your goldfish-like attention span may be able to digest it. I took this measure of consideration in light of your insistence upon receiving a letter of gratitude from me, in the hope you might endeavor to rea...

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“Gratitude ” by Joan Earley

Submitted to Contest #261

Dear Gratitude Journal, I’m thankful that Religious Education is a non-exam course. I’m thankful that Ms. Nelson is not going to actually read you, just check off that we wrote something in you. I’m thankful that this exercise is finally oooover for today. Yours sincerely,Max ————— Dear Gratitude Journal, I’m thankful I’m not Alastair Bliss. Today he wore a suit to history class. Everyone made fun of him, of course, hooting when he walked in. He smiled as he lowered himself into his chair and then raised a pale hand. It was not t...

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“The Cynic Who Could ” by Marla Shaul

Submitted to Contest #261

Is it possible that gratitude has a taste or smell, Mary wondered. Mary found herself on a path of self-exploration. Some would describe her as perpetually depressed, a cynic at the core. She never quite agreed with this but with several past romantic partners stating the same, there must be some truth. She found herself in an upscale New York facility for those carrying the burden and shame of life and generations before. While her overall demeanor has been one of trudging through life she had a dark sense of humor finely crafted by decades...

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“Today was...” by Andy Ortega

Submitted to Contest #261

June 8th 2024 As mandated by my therapist I will be writing a gratitude journal every day for three months. It’s supposed to help with my bad mood that everyone is calling depression. Let’s see, today I started the morning by going to therapy so already off to a bad start. Then I went to my job at the city library. The AC shut down and it was a ninety-degree weather kind of day, no clouds. It was so hot I felt like I could’ve passed out from the heat, but I didn’t. So I guess that’s one good thing that happened today. June 10th ...

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“The Right to Feel” by Caleb Tucker

Submitted to Contest #261

Theo sat in bed, back against the wall, and tried to find his courage. He didn’t know where it’d gone. It’d been there before, he’d used it to act before, but now for some reason it was gone. Absent. His stomach felt queasy, his hands shook under the covers. He didn’t have a lot of time. Any moment now he’d lose his golden opportunity, and yet his hands refused to move. He clenched his teeth, frustrated beyond belief. As if on cue the door opened and he knew he’d lost his chance, for now at least. But the person who walked through the ...

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“Fighting with Gratitude” by Nicole Lee

Submitted to Contest #261

Gratitude, positive thinking, meditation…BLAH. As a born realist (with a healthy dose of pessimism thrown in), I have never believed in the power others placed in these practices.Life is what it is. Bad things happen. You deal with them and move on. That’s how I was raised. If one more person tells me to smile - or worse to count my blessings - I will scream! Loudly and in their face. What the hell is there to be grateful about, anyway? My life started unraveling last year, in the form of a break-up, a fire, and the passing of my dog. T...

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“Gratitude Journal ” by Leah Dewey

Submitted to Contest #261

Louise grumbled and hunched over her sterling wheel when traffic started to slow down. “It’s just a little rain,” she mumbled to herself, willing the cars to go faster. They didn’t. Louise frowned and continued to grumble. When she finally made it to her office, there was a full downpour in the city. She looked in the backseat and realized she had forgotten her umbrella. “Damn it!” she barked before pulling up the hood of her jacket and wobbling as quickly as she could inside the office building. Louise frowned when she saw...

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“The Journal” by Susi Jones

Submitted to Contest #261

Don't you think it's kind of extra to keep gratitude journals, seriously I don't even want to think about it. I don't like the word gratitude. It is a contradiction in my life. Who does that? Who wastes their time with gratitude journals? Not me! What's wrong with people who have to search so hard to find something positive. I don't have to make any effort to think about the darkness. What about a thankless journal? I could knock one of those out in no time. If they only knew. I wake up every day deciphering rea...

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“Beyond the Waiting Room: A Story of Healing and Discovery” by Deepika Pydatalli

Submitted to Contest #261

The couch near the reception desk was as uncomfortable as she’d expected, a design flaw that seemed to mock her impatience. Mahima shifted restlessly, glancing at her phone and then at the hardcover book she had brought, both of which she had no real hope would make the wait any less tedious. She snorted at the thought of journaling, dismissing it as yet another overhyped self-help gimmick. The idea of jotting down her frustrations seemed as pointless as the clinic’s first-come, first-served policy. The air was an uninviting blend of dry and...

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“Award Ceremony.... So Stupid!!” by David Marshall

Submitted to Contest #261

Awards ceremony…..so Stupid!! I guess it all started when I was a young seamen apprentice in the United States Navy. Here we are, standing in the hot sun with humidity close to 80% in Panama, waiting for the senior leadership from our command to arrive so that we can get on with the award ceremony. Sweating like a pig, about to be put on a rotisserie grill in preparation to be eaten by hundreds of people at the local command picnic, I am thinking, oh my God, when will this be over? I want to get back to the barracks, take off this monkey sui...

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Write a story about a cynic who has been told to start a "gratitude journal," and does so — begrudgingly.

Submissions are closed

✍️ 55 stories

“Professor Tenpenny's Court-Ordered Gratitude” by Mary Wilkins

“Gratitude ” by Joan Earley

“The Cynic Who Could ” by Marla Shaul

“Today was...” by Andy Ortega

“The Right to Feel” by Caleb Tucker

“Fighting with Gratitude” by Nicole Lee

“Gratitude Journal ” by Leah Dewey

“The Journal” by Susi Jones

“Beyond the Waiting Room: A Story of Healing and Discovery” by Deepika Pydatalli

“Award Ceremony.... So Stupid!!” by David Marshall

🌟 Similar prompts

Write a story about a character trying to find a way to express their gratitude to someone.

Write a creative nonfiction piece about something you're grateful for.

Write a story about an unsung hero.

Write a story in the form of a series of thank you cards.

Contest #261

Enter our weekly contest!

$250

Prize money

303

Contest entries

97

Stories

Win $250 in our short story competition 🏆

Explore more writing prompt ideas: