‘For us to be fully alive, we must be present, and when we are, we resist hate in ourselves and in the world around us.’ Kaitlin B. Curtice
It’s been a challenging day for me and I am so thankful that I feel well enough this evening to to be present and visit this site and read the sharings from so many fellow humans who are willing to be vulnerable and determined to grow. I appreciate each and every one of you and the founder and staff of gratefulness.org.
I must tell you
that when I picked Sophie out of all the available cats at the shelter,
her name was ‘Thelma’.
I asked the staff how she had come up with that rather strange name,
and was told
that she had been brought in with her sister,
whose name was “Louise’.
It was a hint at the kind of cat she might be. 🙂
When Sophie
first came to live with me,
she was so full of la joie de vivre.
Never had I seen pure, unabashed, selfishly wild energy
on display like that.
She wanted to taste, feel, smell, hear,
touch, and explore
everything in her world.
She quite literally bounced on her feet,
loved everyone and everything.
It was easy to translate her mantra into human speak,
which was,
“I love life,
I love life,
I love life,
and life loves me.”
At almost nineteen years old,
she is still much the same way,
but perhaps a little slower . . .
she has gone deaf and sleeps more,
but she can still stretch out long and thin in front of the fire,
and I admire this quality in her.
She is my heroine for Pure Joy.
Perhaps what I love most about life
is watching Sophie enjoy hers.
She has taught me so much about joy
at a time when I badly needed it in my life.
She taught me to take time to play with presence . . .
eat, sleep, and love with presence,
and not to take anything for granted.
Feel what comes to me
and wallow a little in the luxury of a good stretch . . .
by her example,
she showed me
that everything is worthy of my attention.
She also taught me to always keep my home,
my safe place,
my center
in sight. ♥
Feeling feelings in my chest, especially love and goodwill and gratitude and joy.
Having sensations in my body: feeling cool water on my body, tasting good food, smelling wonderful scents, stillness, the sensation after a good workout or yoga session, being touched in the right way.
Being moved by beauty in art and music and dancing bodies and nature.
Being alive to me is being in my body. I am using my mind a lot and it brings me pleasure, but feeling truly alive is always an embodied experience to me.
Your post,
dear Judith,
reminds of a book I read many years ago,
called ‘Friends Come in Boxes’.
You relate heavily to bodily aliveness,
whereas the ‘friends’ in the book
were living heads stored in boxes
until a new body could be found for them.
(It was a science fiction story).
As I remember,
they talked to each other from their boxes
and all were very unhappy not to have a body.
It is indeed
a wonderful thing to experience life with a body! 🙂
I love that I get a chance to start over as the new day begins. I get a clean slate, a do over, so to speak. I have an opportunity to do better today than yesterday.
Happy November All. 🍂🍁
🐇🐰
🕊️🧡
Haha it’s better than 6feet under ? And I have to say one thing – whatever you resit persists! So when I notice anger, judgement- hate I let it go ! I’m alive so I get to become 💯 % free! Now’s the choice and chance! Thank you ! Happy weekend everyone!
Being able to give and receive love and enjoy the beauties of the natural world. After reading other’s comments, I also have to add a couple of YRAM’s that I resonate with: “I love what I do spiritually, I love satisfying my curiosity.”
I love all my senses-> sight, hearing, smell, taste, and touch
nothing like a good belly laugh – humor is always appreciated and can make you feel alive when your belly hurts from laughing so hard
Connection to others including pets 🙂
Wishing everyone a peaceful weekend – prayers for safe travels as my daughter makes her way to Bali would be much appreciated. Her flights are sooo long – 3 total flights, with 2nd flight 13h 10 min and last flight 9.5hrs.
I love being connected to others.
I love what I do spiritually.
I love satisfying my curiosity.
I love reacting to sport plays
I love music.
I love the smiles and giggles of little ones.
I love recognizing others and being recognized.
I loved that I was able to support my husband during his physical life and now connect on a spiritual level.
This is all so beautiful, YRAM! Especially “I loved that I was able to support my husband during his physical life and now connect on a spiritual level.” Sending much love.
I love that is a journey, with unexpected treasures and challenges along the way. New experiences, people to meet or to get to know better, problems to solve and lessons to learn, sometimes for the second or third time. So much beauty to behold, even in the simplest of things, if we just stop to look.
I love my companion on this journey, seeing with different eyes and tasting life with a different palate, broadening my awareness, helping me to appreciate life that much more. Giving each other support when we stumble and encouragement into the next leg of the journey.
You are right,
dear Tom . . .
sharing your life with someone
really does broaden our perspective
and live more fully.
Thank you for this observation. ♥
Tom, your reply to me on Antoinette’s response played right into my hands based on some of my answers from yesterday and the day before as I remember vaguely. I’ve always had it in me to challenge conventional wisdom. I come from a collective culture. Asian cultures are very collective and have a more traditional way of thinking. Collectivism gives me a foundation but can also make me feel restrained too. Branching out allows me to explore and be innovative.
Sharing life and laughter with the ones I love, the warmth and lightness in my chest when I see and feel something beautiful in nature. Experiencing and learning new things, new futures and new destinations. Good books, comfy spots and blankets and my dog
Oh… this is a beautifully loaded question! I love LOVE, knowing that it is our essence but also something that is meant to be cultivated and shared. I love laughing and enjoying life. I love laying in bed after waking up and talking about life with my husband, usually finding ourselves laughing at whatever comes up. I love getting to experience things that help me become a better me. I love playing with our dogs, snuggling with them, and seeing them look at us with so much love and appreciation. I love that I discovered the path of yoga, not just as a physical movement, but as a way of living. The philosophy has helped me understand myself and the world around me. I love watching the sun rise and set. I love staring at the moon like I’ve never seen it before. I love butterflies and birds and bunnies and cats. I love trees, flowers, and changing seasons. I love going to the beach and feeling sand between my toes. I love hiking mountains and how it feels when you look out on the world from higher up. I love this strong cup of coffee I’m drinking, and I love eating delicious food, too! I love seeing babies and feel blessed when they smile at me.
What I love most about life is that it is similar to looking through a kaleidoscope. The patterns always change to something spectacular, usually delightful, sometimes sad or disquieting but always amazing. I am never sure what I will experience.
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‘For us to be fully alive, we must be present, and when we are, we resist hate in ourselves and in the world around us.’ Kaitlin B. Curtice
It’s been a challenging day for me and I am so thankful that I feel well enough this evening to to be present and visit this site and read the sharings from so many fellow humans who are willing to be vulnerable and determined to grow. I appreciate each and every one of you and the founder and staff of gratefulness.org.
I must tell you
that when I picked Sophie out of all the available cats at the shelter,
her name was ‘Thelma’.
I asked the staff how she had come up with that rather strange name,
and was told
that she had been brought in with her sister,
whose name was “Louise’.
It was a hint at the kind of cat she might be. 🙂
When Sophie
first came to live with me,
she was so full of la joie de vivre.
Never had I seen pure, unabashed, selfishly wild energy
on display like that.
She wanted to taste, feel, smell, hear,
touch, and explore
everything in her world.
She quite literally bounced on her feet,
loved everyone and everything.
It was easy to translate her mantra into human speak,
which was,
“I love life,
I love life,
I love life,
and life loves me.”
At almost nineteen years old,
she is still much the same way,
but perhaps a little slower . . .
she has gone deaf and sleeps more,
but she can still stretch out long and thin in front of the fire,
and I admire this quality in her.
She is my heroine for Pure Joy.
Perhaps what I love most about life
is watching Sophie enjoy hers.
She has taught me so much about joy
at a time when I badly needed it in my life.
She taught me to take time to play with presence . . .
eat, sleep, and love with presence,
and not to take anything for granted.
Feel what comes to me
and wallow a little in the luxury of a good stretch . . .
by her example,
she showed me
that everything is worthy of my attention.
She also taught me to always keep my home,
my safe place,
my center
in sight. ♥
What a kind and joyful being Sophie is and to have entered your life to share hers, dear Sparrow.
Being together in one spirit with kindred hearts, dear friends, loved ones, and all, for the sake of all, for Love.
Feeling feelings in my chest, especially love and goodwill and gratitude and joy.
Having sensations in my body: feeling cool water on my body, tasting good food, smelling wonderful scents, stillness, the sensation after a good workout or yoga session, being touched in the right way.
Being moved by beauty in art and music and dancing bodies and nature.
Being alive to me is being in my body. I am using my mind a lot and it brings me pleasure, but feeling truly alive is always an embodied experience to me.
Your post,
dear Judith,
reminds of a book I read many years ago,
called ‘Friends Come in Boxes’.
You relate heavily to bodily aliveness,
whereas the ‘friends’ in the book
were living heads stored in boxes
until a new body could be found for them.
(It was a science fiction story).
As I remember,
they talked to each other from their boxes
and all were very unhappy not to have a body.
It is indeed
a wonderful thing to experience life with a body! 🙂
I love that I get a chance to start over as the new day begins. I get a clean slate, a do over, so to speak. I have an opportunity to do better today than yesterday.
Happy November All. 🍂🍁
🐇🐰
🕊️🧡
Yes,
dear PKR . . .
tabula rasa . . . ♥
another chance.
I love serendipity, connection, beauty, and kindness.
Haha it’s better than 6feet under ? And I have to say one thing – whatever you resit persists! So when I notice anger, judgement- hate I let it go ! I’m alive so I get to become 💯 % free! Now’s the choice and chance! Thank you ! Happy weekend everyone!
Life is my teacher. I love being guided into constant learning by life.
We get to learn ! I love this ! Yippee!
Same, Antoinette. We’re never finished products.
Being able to give and receive love and enjoy the beauties of the natural world. After reading other’s comments, I also have to add a couple of YRAM’s that I resonate with: “I love what I do spiritually, I love satisfying my curiosity.”
I love all my senses-> sight, hearing, smell, taste, and touch
nothing like a good belly laugh – humor is always appreciated and can make you feel alive when your belly hurts from laughing so hard
Connection to others including pets 🙂
Wishing everyone a peaceful weekend – prayers for safe travels as my daughter makes her way to Bali would be much appreciated. Her flights are sooo long – 3 total flights, with 2nd flight 13h 10 min and last flight 9.5hrs.
Yes, MIchele, a sense of humor is so important! Also, safe travels for your daughter. Sounds like she is off on quite an adventure!
Safe travels and happy trails for your daughter,
dear Michele . . . ♥
Michele, prayers for your daughter’s safety as she flies today. Blessings to her & you. 🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻
Sending safe travel wishes to your daughter, and much joy and beauty when she arrives!
I love being connected to others.
I love what I do spiritually.
I love satisfying my curiosity.
I love reacting to sport plays
I love music.
I love the smiles and giggles of little ones.
I love recognizing others and being recognized.
I loved that I was able to support my husband during his physical life and now connect on a spiritual level.
YRAM, Love this…thank you.
This is all so beautiful, YRAM! Especially “I loved that I was able to support my husband during his physical life and now connect on a spiritual level.” Sending much love.
“I love reacting to sport plays” – me too! 💚🦅
Third that, I hadn’t thought of sports plays as one of life’s joys, but they really are!
I love that is a journey, with unexpected treasures and challenges along the way. New experiences, people to meet or to get to know better, problems to solve and lessons to learn, sometimes for the second or third time. So much beauty to behold, even in the simplest of things, if we just stop to look.
I love my companion on this journey, seeing with different eyes and tasting life with a different palate, broadening my awareness, helping me to appreciate life that much more. Giving each other support when we stumble and encouragement into the next leg of the journey.
You are right,
dear Tom . . .
sharing your life with someone
really does broaden our perspective
and live more fully.
Thank you for this observation. ♥
Tom, your reply to me on Antoinette’s response played right into my hands based on some of my answers from yesterday and the day before as I remember vaguely. I’ve always had it in me to challenge conventional wisdom. I come from a collective culture. Asian cultures are very collective and have a more traditional way of thinking. Collectivism gives me a foundation but can also make me feel restrained too. Branching out allows me to explore and be innovative.
Sharing life and laughter with the ones I love, the warmth and lightness in my chest when I see and feel something beautiful in nature. Experiencing and learning new things, new futures and new destinations. Good books, comfy spots and blankets and my dog
Oh… this is a beautifully loaded question! I love LOVE, knowing that it is our essence but also something that is meant to be cultivated and shared. I love laughing and enjoying life. I love laying in bed after waking up and talking about life with my husband, usually finding ourselves laughing at whatever comes up. I love getting to experience things that help me become a better me. I love playing with our dogs, snuggling with them, and seeing them look at us with so much love and appreciation. I love that I discovered the path of yoga, not just as a physical movement, but as a way of living. The philosophy has helped me understand myself and the world around me. I love watching the sun rise and set. I love staring at the moon like I’ve never seen it before. I love butterflies and birds and bunnies and cats. I love trees, flowers, and changing seasons. I love going to the beach and feeling sand between my toes. I love hiking mountains and how it feels when you look out on the world from higher up. I love this strong cup of coffee I’m drinking, and I love eating delicious food, too! I love seeing babies and feel blessed when they smile at me.
I am so grateful to be alive 💫
It’s almost too much to answer,
dear SunnyPatti,
isn’t it? ♥
Sunnypatti, the part about you and your husband waking up and talking about life sounds like Ngoc and me all over again.
What I love most about life is that it is similar to looking through a kaleidoscope. The patterns always change to something spectacular, usually delightful, sometimes sad or disquieting but always amazing. I am never sure what I will experience.
Well put, Cathie. It really is like that.