grat·i·tude
ˈɡradəˌt(y)o͞od/
noun the quality of being thankful; readiness to show appreciation for
Every morning I head up into the woods.
Every morning I stop, sit on my favorite rock and count my blessings.
I have many, but I record 5.
I call them my 5 Grate Things.
This simple practice has changed me.
I've created this site to inspire others to do the same.
It's time to wake up to your life. In order to do that, we have to...
Notice the trance.
We all do it--switch to autopilot when life gets busy. We forget about what matters. We no longer see the mystery. We start to live small.
Play the game with me: Take a few moments out of your day to think of 5 things you appreciate in your life. Even on the most brutal days, it's possible to come up with something. The fun starts when you think of 5 new things each day, try not to repeat! It's all too easy to rely on the old standbys (my great kids, my new car, this beautiful day...).
It's when then those big ones get used up that you really have to start looking...and it's then that you see for the first time.
As you continue to practice, life distills down into it's simplest form and that is where the beauty lies.
Oh, and I encourage you to include at least one thing you appreciate about yourself in the list. This can be challenging, but transformative!
Feel free write your list in this site's blog comments or keep it your own delicious secret. But I do urge you to take the time to write it somewhere--proclaim it, make it official, make it real--even if it is just writing it on a napkin and throwing it away. Declare your gratitude.
Start a practice of appreciation and you'll remember what matters. And if you don't know what matters, gratitude is how you find out. This practice gives us the gift of being fully present...even if just for a few moments.
sit.
breathe.
appreciate.
And watch your life unfold.
Every morning I stop, sit on my favorite rock and count my blessings.
I have many, but I record 5.
I call them my 5 Grate Things.
This simple practice has changed me.
I've created this site to inspire others to do the same.
It's time to wake up to your life. In order to do that, we have to...
Notice the trance.
We all do it--switch to autopilot when life gets busy. We forget about what matters. We no longer see the mystery. We start to live small.
Play the game with me: Take a few moments out of your day to think of 5 things you appreciate in your life. Even on the most brutal days, it's possible to come up with something. The fun starts when you think of 5 new things each day, try not to repeat! It's all too easy to rely on the old standbys (my great kids, my new car, this beautiful day...).
It's when then those big ones get used up that you really have to start looking...and it's then that you see for the first time.
As you continue to practice, life distills down into it's simplest form and that is where the beauty lies.
Oh, and I encourage you to include at least one thing you appreciate about yourself in the list. This can be challenging, but transformative!
Feel free write your list in this site's blog comments or keep it your own delicious secret. But I do urge you to take the time to write it somewhere--proclaim it, make it official, make it real--even if it is just writing it on a napkin and throwing it away. Declare your gratitude.
Start a practice of appreciation and you'll remember what matters. And if you don't know what matters, gratitude is how you find out. This practice gives us the gift of being fully present...even if just for a few moments.
sit.
breathe.
appreciate.
And watch your life unfold.
"We can only be said to be alive in those moments
when our hearts are conscious of our treasures.”
— Thornton Wilder