Gratitude

While I wrote this at the beginning of the month I wasn’t quite ready to share it. In order to bring this month of gratitude to fruition I leave you with these thoughts:

We are already a few days into the month and most of us are still waiting with baited breath to find out the results of the elections and the fate of our nation. We are living in interesting times to say the least. I would not have imagined that we would be in this place and yet here we are. I know that I am not the only one to feel the divide that has separated so many and at the same time a deep longing for deeper connection. The question of how did we get here doesn’t really matter at the moment since we have failed so often to learn from our history and our mistakes. The question remains as to how do we repair, heal and move towards a more conscious ideal; one that is rooted in compassion, peace, wisdom and hope.

I am using this month to anchor into gratitude. Gratitude is the first step towards opening the heart. There is much that is stirred up right now some of which feels heavy and yet, there are so many blessings if the heart is open enough to see. What we focus on is what we create. So if you are worried, anxious, overwhelmed and that is what consumes your thoughts and your actions then that is what you will receive more of in your life. What if you could instead experience abundance, grace and joy? It is not about ignoring the parts of us that are stirred but is is about deciding how we respond.

When I lived in Hawaii, I had an older neighbor that I would run into occasionally. When I asked him how he was doing he would always respond by saying, “I am counting my blessings!” It always made my heart smile and reminded me to look at all the good in my life. Here was a man who was filled with joy and gratitude despite illness, old age, loss and suffering. He never complained about anything but instead sought out the beauty around him. When I have experienced moments of darkness in my life I often remember him and his beautiful spirit then I begin to count my blessings to allow in the light.

As William Arthur Ward said, “Gratitude can turn ordinary days into Thanksgivings”.

As you journey forward where can you practice greater gratitude? Despite the outcomes of the elections or this year with COVID and the many other trials, tribulations and struggles people have experienced, can you find something to anchor into where you can express your a moment of gratitude? Maybe, it is you still have a job, or that your candidate won offering you hope. Maybe, you have good food on your table or more family time. Maybe, it is a sunset or sunrise that took your breath away or the quiet stillness of the first snowfall. Whatever it may be, I invite you to take a few moments and relish in one thing that you are genuinely grateful for. Make it a daily habit to seek out the beauty in your life because a glimmer of thanks holds tremendous freedom.

Feel it. See it. Hear it.