Thanksgiving and Appreciation

Gratitude has not been the first thing on my mind in these last two weeks.  To be totally honest, I don’t think I have thought much about appreciation either – nor have I kept my gratitude journaling practice up to date.  I have been focused on what has gone wrong (of course from my lofty point of view).  Frequent bouts of discouragement, if not outright fear, have come to mind.

So now as I write this, we are one week away from the most traveled holiday of the year, and the time to pause and be thankful – to share favorite people with our favorite foods – or to be with family we don’t see all that often.

I am in a new place this year – a new city – a new life – new friends and new love.  Newness doesn’t automatically send me into gratitude either – more worry about getting lost or settling in…the ever spinning mind on high alert.

In truth, I love the feeling of gratitude -I love the way it begins in my heart and travels to my mind and to the Spirit beyond my mind.  It can bring tears to my eyes in full recognition of the blessings I have in my life.  Those things I listed above – new life – a chance to begin again with a clean slate-new city – exploring and seeing new sights and sounds- new friendships and the time to invest in them – and of course new love -new hope and joy to share.  Same set of newness and yet a different way to look at each of them.  Seeing through the lens of gratitude and appreciation changes physiology – it changes my heart rate – it softens my gaze and automatically creates a warmth and love that permeates my whole being.

It’s so simple – why do I waste a moment of life without bringing in gratefulness and letting it have its way with me.

Right now, please join me in breathing in gratitude -count of 4 on the in breath – count of 4 on the outbreath – and feel how grateful  you are for one small thing you treasure or many things you know are blessings indeed.

Find the sweet spot in your heart that opens as soon as you begin to feel grateful and allow it to magnify and amplify from you to your room – to your street – town and state – and witness the wonder.

Happy Thanksgiving – Sending my love to each and all of you.