Chapter 1: A Unique Gift

Five years ago, my unconventional mother-in-law called me from Montana. She prefers to be called my "outlaw mother" and I’ve embraced that term. "I found a gift for Tavi at an antique shop," she said, referring to my son. "But my friend thinks most fourth-graders wouldn’t be interested in it. I wanted to check with you first to see if he’d actually like it."

As it turned out, the gift was a vintage typewriter from a quaint shop in rural Montana. It was a Royal Portable from the 1930s, dressed in a charming shade called crinoline blue. "I realize he’s only nine, so it might be a strange gift," my outlaw mother admitted.

While my now-teenage son is into Taylor Swift and trendy stores, five years ago, he was in a particularly sophisticated phase for his age. Along with his love for LEGO, he had interests in vintage watches, interior design, and instrumental piano jazz. He only wore button-up shirts and cardigans, leading me to sometimes wonder if he was spending too much time around my Boomer father and skipping the carefree joys of childhood.

"Oh, he’ll adore it," I reassured her. And indeed, he did. Being a writer myself, I was equally enchanted by this vintage piece.

In the early 90s, I enjoyed typing letters to my grandmother on my dad's old typewriter. Later, in the mid-80s, I became fascinated with an electric typewriter that my mother brought home from work. I would create whimsical gossip zines filled with ridiculous stories about my teachers, passing them around the lunchroom.

Eventually, I transitioned to our family’s first home computer in 1988, but my fondness for typewriters never faded. Once the beautiful blue typewriter arrived in our home, I proudly displayed it on our living room table, which, coincidentally, my outlaw mother had crafted.

...And then inspiration struck.

I inserted a sheet of paper into the typewriter and typed in bold letters: WHAT ARE YOU GRATEFUL FOR?

My first entry read:

I am grateful for one last picnic at the park before fall comes -ams 9/6/2019

Typing on a typewriter makes the act of writing feel tangible. Unlike a keyboard, the force with which you hit the keys matters; you need enough pressure to transfer the ink to the paper.

And the sound! Each keystroke feels significant, infusing your words with intention. It transforms fleeting language into a visceral experience. Mistakes happen, but you just backspace and try again.

My son eagerly took his turn that first day, typing a few entries:

i am grateful for popcorn !

i am greatful for legos

I added some of my own:

I am grateful for Tavi! he is the best son ever! 9/7

i am grateful for my health and time to be bored. -ams

A few days later, I noticed that the typewriter had produced:

Iam greatful for MAMA!

It filled me with joy to realize my son was secretly typing his own expressions of gratitude.

Sometimes, while scrolling on my phone in my bedroom, I could hear him in the living room, enthusiastically clacking away on the Royal.

When we filled the first sheet of paper, I read through our collective entries and saw that they formed more of a poem than a simple list. Here’s our inaugural page of gratitudes. Shout-out to my 2019-era Substack newsletter, which I foolishly migrated to a mailing list hosted on Kajabi.

I’ve always written essays, but somehow, this typewriter birthed poetry.

9/11: i am grateful for no airplanes hitting buildings today

9/13: i am grateful for knowing it's the full moon making me feel weird, and Xx not just me being weird &

I am greatful for snuggles!

9/18/2019: I am grateful formarshmallos.

I am grateful for people who are patient with me

I am grateful for candles and leaves and friends

I realized I had unintentionally created a space for collaborative family poetry; a shared artistic endeavor that could last for years. Five years later, I can confidently say that The Gratitude Typewriter has become a cherished tradition in our small family.

I now have numerous pages of gratitude poetry displayed on our refrigerator. Flipping through them reveals a larger narrative about our family.

By reading these entries, one can witness the growth of a boy and his mother. I can track my son’s significant life moments, from his last orthodontist visit ("getting freed from my braces") to acquiring his first iPhone.

I also see the evolution of his relationships through vague yet poignant references like "I'm grateful for new connections :)" followed weeks later by "I'm grateful for friends who give me hugs when I'm crying."

Over time, my entries began to center more on simple, everyday moments — the beauty of a colorful sunrise or the blessing of being in a healthy body on a given day.

Chapter 2: Expanding Our Circle of Gratitude

The Gratitude Typewriter poetry becomes even richer with the inclusion of more collaborators.

When we host guests, they are always drawn to the typewriter in our living room by the window. They glance at the current entries, grasp the concept quickly, and type out their own short poems of appreciation.

Once, my son invited a group of his 8th-grade friends over for a Saturday night get-together. I was exiled to my bedroom, instructed to use noise-canceling headphones and absolutely NO EAVESDROPPING, MOM, PROMISE.

While the crew was supposed to be playing DnD, they mostly ended up just chatting and joking around.

Afterward, the gratitude typewriter held these poetic lines:

Me and the bros

A home filled with plants and art 10/14/23

your mom

lol

XXXXXXX

My outlaw mother also makes it a point to participate whenever she visits. If you look closely at the typewriter, you can spot where my son expressed his gratitude for her presence, and she replied, "Nana is here and she is happy."

The Future of the Gratitude Typewriter

Eventually, I plan to compile these pages of poetry into a book — perhaps at the ten-year mark. By then, it will chronicle my son's journey from a fourth-grader, through the challenges of a pandemic, into adolescence, high school, and eventually college.

Like many parents, I strive to provide my son with everything possible while also teaching him the importance of humility. Gratitude serves as our guiding principle in achieving this balance as a family.

I cherish these tangible expressions of gratitude as they allow me to track our family's growth. There is so much to be thankful for, and maintaining that sense of appreciation requires focus and intent. Practicing gratitude takes effort; it’s a commitment to show up for that practice regularly. The rhythmic clattering of this nearly century-old typewriter serves as a beautiful tool to foster our collective journey of gratitude.