Practicing gratefulness reminds me of my connection to all life because gratitude inspires appreciation for all that I have – family, friends & community; this good earth and all its wondrous, curious & fascinating beings & elements; a diversity of books in libraries & bookshops; and so much more – and for all that I’m gifted with through an open heart & mind. Without gratitude it is too easy to become negative and insular. I choose love.
For me I believe my well being needs connection. My work and busy life may not fill that need always. Coming to this site and practicing grateful living helps me focus and connect to like minds and learn about other’s practices. In the end it hopefully helps me find more joy and peace of mind.
When I am grouchy it helps me remember I can have hope. When I am happy it helps me become happier. When I am fearful it reminds me to love and that I have choice. When I am rageful it brings perspective. When I engage this community, I am overcome with gratitude, and I feel connected.
Practicing gratitude, and other practices, help to reinforce the belief that there is no “other”.
It’s this belief that allows me to talk to a stranger, to commune with a tree, to feel pain and love from our four legged friends, to look out at the night sky with familiarity. As I like to say, only half jokingly, I am a Redwood tree. And so are you. 😁
Practicing gratefulness reminds me of the importance of relationships, I am connected to all of Life, I am Life. What I think, feel and share matters. Words have energy. May mine always be kind. May I always tell myself and others like it is with love and compassion. Self talk can be the most hurtful. It’s important to practice mindfulness.
“Every time you express gratitude or compassion for any aspect of yourself or someone else, you breathe life in.” Mariah Fenton Gladis
Thanks to all of you for your kind and caring response to my post yesterday about my health. Your compassion and your words are very helpful to me. I feel the love and I am most grateful.
Carol, I just saw your post from yesterday. I hope you’re feeling better every day. Sending you warm and healing thoughts.
As for the hurtful self talk, I once read that you have to be careful what you say to yourself, because your psyche doesn’t know the difference between what you are saying to yourself and what someone else is saying to you.
It stuck with me.
I agree that self talk needs to be monitored and it makes sense to me that one’s psyche doesn’t know the difference between what we say to ourselves and what someone else is saying to us.
Gratefulness almost always brings me to the present moment, and I slow down. When I slow down, I see more, feel more, take-in more. It’s at those times, when I feel, see, and take in more that I experience an expansiveness of my heart, which connects me way beyond myself. To the place I am inhabiting at the moment, to what my senses can take in, perhaps people I am with. It makes life richer, and the mystery feels more intense.
Being grateful brings up a joy in me that overflows.
Within that joy I feel that connection.
The greater the gratefulness,
the greater the joy,
the greater the connection.
Wishing all gratefulness, joy, and connection today.
Peace
When I practice gratefulness, I have the opportunity to see connections threaded through every aspect of the moment. I am here, and it is a gift. Where did it come from? Where is this all going? This specific moment of intersection in all the myriad tangential arcs of the universe has come together and I seek to experience and exhibit gratitude.
Practicing gratefulness eases me off fixations. I could be fixated on the future, or anxiety, or frustration, or lists and gratefulness pulls me back into what is here, now. I see the life around me rather than letting it blur by. So the very act of gratefulness is one of re-connection with the present and the things around me.
When I practice gratefulness, I can see things more clearly. I can see the immense love I have for my family and loved ones. I can see how delighted and joyful I feel when I do things that make me happy. I can also see what my anger, shame, sadness, anxiety is trying to tell me when these feelings come up. I am able to connect the dots and recognize that all is connected.
Gratefulness grounds me into the now and the feelings it produces also remind me of my connection with everyone and everything. It’s a great swirl of energy filled with light, and I love that we can share that.
Living gratefully helps me enjoy the easy stretches of my life. Hard times will inevidably come. We haven’t crossed that bridge yet. Presence is the greatest form of preparation. Preparing for the worst is asking for suffering.
Practicing gratefulness has built the bridge of thankfulness connecting my narrow mind and the wider world. Every time I encounter an unexpected occurrence, I walk my mind back on the bridge of thankfulness. Thanks to the occurrence, I am offered more life experience.
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Practicing gratefulness reminds me of my connection to all life because gratitude inspires appreciation for all that I have – family, friends & community; this good earth and all its wondrous, curious & fascinating beings & elements; a diversity of books in libraries & bookshops; and so much more – and for all that I’m gifted with through an open heart & mind. Without gratitude it is too easy to become negative and insular. I choose love.
Welcome to this space Beth
What a lovely response,
dear Beth . . .
“I choose love.” ♥
For me I believe my well being needs connection. My work and busy life may not fill that need always. Coming to this site and practicing grateful living helps me focus and connect to like minds and learn about other’s practices. In the end it hopefully helps me find more joy and peace of mind.
Coming here
and Practicing with all of you
satisfies needs in me
that are not fulfilled elsewhere too,
dear Robin Ann. ♥
When I am grouchy it helps me remember I can have hope. When I am happy it helps me become happier. When I am fearful it reminds me to love and that I have choice. When I am rageful it brings perspective. When I engage this community, I am overcome with gratitude, and I feel connected.
Practicing gratitude, and other practices, help to reinforce the belief that there is no “other”.
It’s this belief that allows me to talk to a stranger, to commune with a tree, to feel pain and love from our four legged friends, to look out at the night sky with familiarity. As I like to say, only half jokingly, I am a Redwood tree. And so are you. 😁
Thank you, Charlie,.
🙂
Practicing gratefulness reminds me of the importance of relationships, I am connected to all of Life, I am Life. What I think, feel and share matters. Words have energy. May mine always be kind. May I always tell myself and others like it is with love and compassion. Self talk can be the most hurtful. It’s important to practice mindfulness.
“Every time you express gratitude or compassion for any aspect of yourself or someone else, you breathe life in.” Mariah Fenton Gladis
Thanks to all of you for your kind and caring response to my post yesterday about my health. Your compassion and your words are very helpful to me. I feel the love and I am most grateful.
I trust you are on the mend Carol.
Carol, I just saw your post from yesterday. I hope you’re feeling better every day. Sending you warm and healing thoughts.
As for the hurtful self talk, I once read that you have to be careful what you say to yourself, because your psyche doesn’t know the difference between what you are saying to yourself and what someone else is saying to you.
It stuck with me.
I agree that self talk needs to be monitored and it makes sense to me that one’s psyche doesn’t know the difference between what we say to ourselves and what someone else is saying to us.
Being grateful
naturally leads us back to Source . . .
I am grateful for my hot coffee on a cold day,
and connections are drawn.
I am grateful for this cup that warms my hands,
grateful for the person who made this cup.
I am grateful for the warm room where I drink my coffee,
grateful for the driver who delivers the fuel for heat.
I am grateful for the person who planted and picked the coffee beans,
grateful for whoever packaged them and sent them here.
I am grateful for the fresh water that brewed my coffee,
grateful for my well and whoever dug it so many years ago.
You see,
it goes on and on,
keeps going
back to Source.
How can practicing gratefulness NOT remind me
of my connection to all of life? ♥
Sparrow, Thank you…so beautifully said. Very helpful.
Gratefulness almost always brings me to the present moment, and I slow down. When I slow down, I see more, feel more, take-in more. It’s at those times, when I feel, see, and take in more that I experience an expansiveness of my heart, which connects me way beyond myself. To the place I am inhabiting at the moment, to what my senses can take in, perhaps people I am with. It makes life richer, and the mystery feels more intense.
Gratefulness is practicing the presence!
Amen, Carol.
. . . beautifully expressed,
dear Mary.
That’s exactly how it feels for me as well. ♥
Agreed
Being grateful brings up a joy in me that overflows.
Within that joy I feel that connection.
The greater the gratefulness,
the greater the joy,
the greater the connection.
Wishing all gratefulness, joy, and connection today.
Peace
When I practice gratefulness, I have the opportunity to see connections threaded through every aspect of the moment. I am here, and it is a gift. Where did it come from? Where is this all going? This specific moment of intersection in all the myriad tangential arcs of the universe has come together and I seek to experience and exhibit gratitude.
“I am here and it is a gift”
in “…this specific moment…”
Thank you, LauraBeth.
Practicing gratefulness eases me off fixations. I could be fixated on the future, or anxiety, or frustration, or lists and gratefulness pulls me back into what is here, now. I see the life around me rather than letting it blur by. So the very act of gratefulness is one of re-connection with the present and the things around me.
Amen–I get fixated, too. Gratefulness and breathing help me.
Beautiful, Drea, thank you.
Yes, gratefulness is the reconnecting force.
When I practice gratefulness, I can see things more clearly. I can see the immense love I have for my family and loved ones. I can see how delighted and joyful I feel when I do things that make me happy. I can also see what my anger, shame, sadness, anxiety is trying to tell me when these feelings come up. I am able to connect the dots and recognize that all is connected.
Gratefulness grounds me into the now and the feelings it produces also remind me of my connection with everyone and everything. It’s a great swirl of energy filled with light, and I love that we can share that.
Even though I beieve that we all are connected, it is a mystery.
Living gratefully helps me enjoy the easy stretches of my life. Hard times will inevidably come. We haven’t crossed that bridge yet. Presence is the greatest form of preparation. Preparing for the worst is asking for suffering.
Your last two statements are powerful, I wrote them in my planner. Thank you Loc 🙏🏽
No problem, Jennifer. It reminds me of how Barb has talked about fishing for problems before in the last statement.
Practicing gratefulness has built the bridge of thankfulness connecting my narrow mind and the wider world. Every time I encounter an unexpected occurrence, I walk my mind back on the bridge of thankfulness. Thanks to the occurrence, I am offered more life experience.
The bridge of thankfulness is such a beautiful way to put it.
Amen
My Ngoc, coming to the realization that we’ll never know everything is the 1st step.