Gratitude

There are many different forms of gratitude. I became aware several years ago that gratitude was important in my life. I think I first had this notion through yoga, the union of mind and body. My teachers sometimes spoke to its importance, whether through a short reading or commentary during the class. Sometimes after savasana (resting pose) we'd thank ourselves for showing up to the mat, for making space, for doing something good for our body and mind.

Years later my reading expanded this understanding. One spiritual leader I followed had a particular oracle card that spoke to gratitude's importance. The card said gratitude could change your life and carried with it some magical qualities. Louise Hay also said something similar. Encouraged by this, I began focusing on gratitude and why I felt it. My life was challenging at the time but I found things to be grateful for and expressed this. There were many ways I was fortunate and abundant - I didn't have to commute through a busy city as I'd retired. I was exempt from the rat race and could instead focus on my life, a new chapter. None of my intimate relationships had worked out but I was alright and thriving, thanks to family and friends who cared, a supportive counsellor, health on my side, and lots of energy to exercise at the gym. Walks in nature felt so good - the sky, the river, the birds, the trees, the grass, the others also appreciating it, along with the lovely sound of music and the feeling I got when writing.

All of these elements formed an enjoyable life. It wasn't exactly as I had pictured it, but there was so much beauty and joy. I began to work on my intuition and felt a way forward. A couple of years later I adopted a gratitude practice where I wrote down items on paper, folded them up and placed them in a glass jar. Seeing the jar fill up was nothing short of delightful. Then upsizing the jar to a very large one felt even better. At the end of the year, reading those bits of paper became ceremonial. Now I've moved to a very portable method on my phone so I can accomplish it from any location. It has evolved into a daily practice where I make a list of seven or more things for which I'm grateful. At times they are not at all "things" rather events, friends, family. foods, health or anything else. The point is to acknowledge as many as feels right. Then what? You receive much more to be grateful for. It's that simple when it's part of your mindset. Remember the opposite is true too. If we focus on what is missing in our lives, the Universe gives us more of that! So change your frame of reference to dial up your appreciation for the little things. I was sometimes known as the silver linings lady at work. It was the only way I could function because the alternative was often too depressing. Yes every cloud has a silver lining - it's called gratitude. You don't need to be popular with the pessimists. For them the sky is always falling. Forget that and remember your blessings; write them, say them, meditate on them, tell your family, your friends and spread it widely. Refuse to participate in a negative world; opt out of those things that do not light you up. And be grateful for what does. There's plenty of it, so point it out!

If you'd like some help changing your mindset or your life, I'm here for you. Drop me a line.