Gratitude
I attended a women's conference on gratitude recently. It was good, and I have been thinking about what I learned. One topic was on abundant gratitude. The observation was made that when we are able to focus ourselves in the present, in the space we are in, in the sounds we are hearing, the things we are seeing, the people we are with, etc., that gratitude becomes more natural.
I know that this is true from my time spent walking. If I am walking while thinking about things that happened yesterday, or what I am worried about tomorrow, my walk still feels good because I am getting the exercise I need, but emotionally I am not in a better frame of mind than I was before I walked.
However, on days when I am able to focus on the walk itself, it is different. I notice which birds are singing. I notice how fast the sun crests the horizon. I'm aware of whether the wheat has a flag leaf, or whether the head is beginning to show. I enjoy the camaraderie of walking next to a dog who enjoys walking next to me. I come home with more of a sense of wonder.
Two of my friends have begun gratitude journals. Every evening they write down five things they are honestly grateful for. They say it is changing them.
So I would like to keep a gratitude journal here. Sometimes I will be cautious about what I write because sometimes writing about my gratitude might compromise other people's privacy. But I think having a public place to be grateful might be a good way to be accountable for me. I will try to write every day for a month, and then re-evaluate.
From yesterday, I am grateful for...
I know that this is true from my time spent walking. If I am walking while thinking about things that happened yesterday, or what I am worried about tomorrow, my walk still feels good because I am getting the exercise I need, but emotionally I am not in a better frame of mind than I was before I walked.
However, on days when I am able to focus on the walk itself, it is different. I notice which birds are singing. I notice how fast the sun crests the horizon. I'm aware of whether the wheat has a flag leaf, or whether the head is beginning to show. I enjoy the camaraderie of walking next to a dog who enjoys walking next to me. I come home with more of a sense of wonder.
Two of my friends have begun gratitude journals. Every evening they write down five things they are honestly grateful for. They say it is changing them.
So I would like to keep a gratitude journal here. Sometimes I will be cautious about what I write because sometimes writing about my gratitude might compromise other people's privacy. But I think having a public place to be grateful might be a good way to be accountable for me. I will try to write every day for a month, and then re-evaluate.
From yesterday, I am grateful for...
- an unexpected evening alone with Chuck with a supper full of flavors I love (salmon steaks, roasted mixed vegetables, ice cream)
- the sweetness of a nap with Luke
- time spent with a friend in honest and accountable sharing about our lives
- fresh whole wheat bread with apricot jam
- learning the song of the dick sissel birds which have just returned to Kansas for the summer
Comments
2. Five years of marriage to a good man.
3. A sunny day and promising buds in the garden.
4. The first taste of rhubarb this season, quite possibly my favorite kind of pie.
5. A new dress that makes me feel beautiful.
-sons who mostly enjoy the simple things I can do with and for them and who teach me about myself
-the blessing of doing things I love to do and getting paid to do them
-participating in some of the most important days in people's lives through my work
-parents who share their wisdom with grace