To be honest, I tend to do this at the end of the day – and it does help my brain settle to sleep. I notice little positives that I might have forgotten or easily overlooked. I notice the kindness of others. I feel contentment.
The pressure of having to do something special, of having to do everything right, immediately falls away from me.
It’s like a reminder: Ah, this day is a gift to me. And I feel the joy, calm and gratitude for it.
When I approach the day with a grateful orientation, I notice that I am able to be more in control of my mood. Coming from a place of gratitude helps keep my anxiety and depression in check. I am able to keep shame spirals and doom and gloom thoughts better in check. This helps me be more productive during my day because I am not getting overwhelmed to the point of shutting down.
Nature in all of its beauty, a thunderstorm full of dramatic scenes while illuminating the nightly shaded trees in flashes of lightnings while noticing right next toit, there is a peaceful colorful red-orange-turquoise part at a sky that gets me sense the utter vastness of stillness beyond the dramatic scenery, both being there and visible only due to light; all welcome, enjoying the fresh air after the rain and happy for the plants to have been gifted with urgently needed water for unfolding and becoming able to offering their richness of fruits and nourishing beauty. Gratefully noticing joy in dear friends, mutual confidence reappears at the horizon and in the same time, some more direct and kind communication is possible and more integrity and confidence in myself also.
Beauty of Mother Earth so much more then when I didn’t practice gratefulness. I appreciate more.
There is a nature preserve not too far from where I live and I have been going frequently lately. Each day is very different and the beauty is all around. It is a coastal lagoon that meets up to the Ocean. There is a farm pond also with lily pads and sometimes you can see a large snapping turtle. For the first time i am now seeing frogs on the lily pads and tad poles in the water. Lately there has been a lot of butterflies too.
When I was young, we called tadpoles pollywogs. We took many home and fed them fish food until the transformed into frogs and some were toads. Thanks for jogging my memory, Robin Ann.
Eat bread and understand comfort.
Drink water, and understand delight.
Visit the garden where the scarlet trumpets
are opening their bodies for the hummingbirds
who are drinking the sweetness, who are
thrillingly gluttonous.
For one thing leads to another.
Soon you will notice how stones shine underfoot.
Eventually tides will be the only calendar you believe in.
As I sit here on my patio in the grey of
this morning and I focus on gratitude,
I can feel my shoulders drop, my breath
becomes deeper and more even, and I
can feel an expanding of my options.
“Our fates are tied. We have this strange notion on this planet that our fates are not tied. If it were not so we would not be here together. It’s that simple.” Luisah Teash
I am grateful for starting the day with Luisah’s quote! It reminds me that we are one with each other and all of creation. It reminds me of the danger of dualism which is so prevalent in our world today. In religious terms, it says to me: I can’t be “saved” unless you are “saved” too. I notice that when I approach life with gratefulness that duality or as Joseph would say, “the M & M’s” of me and mine become “We and Ours.” My ability to respond to whatever is happening with kindness to self and others is enhanced.
The spirit that I experience through the day is determined by the spirit that I bring into the day. I notice that happenings that might disturb me under other circumstances do not.
When I start my day in gratefulness my day flows better. I am able to handle the “bumps & bruises” of the day with grace & love. I am able to embrace all before me with more ease.
Happy Monday All.❤️🙏🏻✨
For me, I feel like I am able to appreciate the little things more. For instance, I’ve been trying to be more consistent with my routine these past two weeks and I’m thankful for doing so because it helps my state of mind tremendously. The more I practice discipline, the more grateful I become.
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To be honest, I tend to do this at the end of the day – and it does help my brain settle to sleep. I notice little positives that I might have forgotten or easily overlooked. I notice the kindness of others. I feel contentment.
The pressure of having to do something special, of having to do everything right, immediately falls away from me.
It’s like a reminder: Ah, this day is a gift to me. And I feel the joy, calm and gratitude for it.
Barba, it’s easy to forget that we’re good the way we are in a society that values improvement which is healthy to a certain point.
I try to think about the good things in my life, the blessings and the things I am grateful for!
When I approach the day with a grateful orientation, I notice that I am able to be more in control of my mood. Coming from a place of gratitude helps keep my anxiety and depression in check. I am able to keep shame spirals and doom and gloom thoughts better in check. This helps me be more productive during my day because I am not getting overwhelmed to the point of shutting down.
Nature in all of its beauty, a thunderstorm full of dramatic scenes while illuminating the nightly shaded trees in flashes of lightnings while noticing right next toit, there is a peaceful colorful red-orange-turquoise part at a sky that gets me sense the utter vastness of stillness beyond the dramatic scenery, both being there and visible only due to light; all welcome, enjoying the fresh air after the rain and happy for the plants to have been gifted with urgently needed water for unfolding and becoming able to offering their richness of fruits and nourishing beauty. Gratefully noticing joy in dear friends, mutual confidence reappears at the horizon and in the same time, some more direct and kind communication is possible and more integrity and confidence in myself also.
Beauty of Mother Earth so much more then when I didn’t practice gratefulness. I appreciate more.
There is a nature preserve not too far from where I live and I have been going frequently lately. Each day is very different and the beauty is all around. It is a coastal lagoon that meets up to the Ocean. There is a farm pond also with lily pads and sometimes you can see a large snapping turtle. For the first time i am now seeing frogs on the lily pads and tad poles in the water. Lately there has been a lot of butterflies too.
When I was young, we called tadpoles pollywogs. We took many home and fed them fish food until the transformed into frogs and some were toads. Thanks for jogging my memory, Robin Ann.
Love that memory! Thanks for sharing, that is so cool that you saw them turn into frogs and toads!
My morning poetry reading practice gave me this gift from Mary Oliver that fits the question beautifully: “To Begin With, the Sweet Grass” https://www.ayearofbeinghere.com/2015/08/mary-oliver-to-begin-with-sweet-grass.html.
An excerpt:
Eat bread and understand comfort.
Drink water, and understand delight.
Visit the garden where the scarlet trumpets
are opening their bodies for the hummingbirds
who are drinking the sweetness, who are
thrillingly gluttonous.
For one thing leads to another.
Soon you will notice how stones shine underfoot.
Eventually tides will be the only calendar you believe in.
Thank you, Barb. I enjoyed that. I copied one stanza and gave it to my lovely wife Cheryl.
Barb, I’ve always loved that poem. Thanks for sharing.
As I sit here on my patio in the grey of
this morning and I focus on gratitude,
I can feel my shoulders drop, my breath
becomes deeper and more even, and I
can feel an expanding of my options.
That the extra – ordinary is where I can find peace and happiness- grateful for the reminder!
“Our fates are tied. We have this strange notion on this planet that our fates are not tied. If it were not so we would not be here together. It’s that simple.” Luisah Teash
I am grateful for starting the day with Luisah’s quote! It reminds me that we are one with each other and all of creation. It reminds me of the danger of dualism which is so prevalent in our world today. In religious terms, it says to me: I can’t be “saved” unless you are “saved” too. I notice that when I approach life with gratefulness that duality or as Joseph would say, “the M & M’s” of me and mine become “We and Ours.” My ability to respond to whatever is happening with kindness to self and others is enhanced.
The spirit that I experience through the day is determined by the spirit that I bring into the day. I notice that happenings that might disturb me under other circumstances do not.
When I start my day in gratefulness my day flows better. I am able to handle the “bumps & bruises” of the day with grace & love. I am able to embrace all before me with more ease.
Happy Monday All.❤️🙏🏻✨
I feel content and at peace, ready for the day ahead.
For me, I feel like I am able to appreciate the little things more. For instance, I’ve been trying to be more consistent with my routine these past two weeks and I’m thankful for doing so because it helps my state of mind tremendously. The more I practice discipline, the more grateful I become.
When I approach the day with a grateful orientation, I notice the energy of positivity and joy within my body, both physically and mentally.
Yes, my Ngoc. Our attitude also has an impact on others as well both positively and negatively.