100-Day Gratitude Challenge
Day 80: Give Thanks for the Drumbeat of Life
Reflect
One of the great mysteries of life is the very thing that’s allowing us to be here right now — our bodies of bones and skin and organs and blood vessels, all somehow doing what they were designed to do. Your heart beats around 5,000 times per hour, your vascular system is around 8,000 miles long, your skin renews itself every 30-90 days. All of this is enough to inspire complete and utter awe. Some forms of life take the shape of flowers, birds, ants, or whales, but you exist as an absolutely unique human, supported by complex systems going about their business without, for the most part, much thought from you. What a miracle.
Practice
Locate your pulse, and tune into the beating of your heart for a full minute. While you feel this rhythm, consider the fact that your heart has been beating like this for years — while you were sleeping, working, grieving, while the moon was orbiting the earth and the earth was orbiting the sun. Allow yourself simply to appreciate the great mystery of this drumbeat of life and take a moment to give thanks.