Gratitude is "good." It is heartfelt and lovely. And somehow I missed the call out that the 30 days of November would be a social media exercise for sharing one's daily gratitude via Facebook. So much of the messages on the medium are any thing but positive and grateful. So, I appreciate the effort. The trick to practicing gratitude, in my experience, is not to reserve that daily shout out for the next to last month of the year. But, to do it everyday. In a journal. As we speak to others. Or, whispered (or said aloud) to one's self.
It is when I look at the skies I am reminded of the wise words of another one of my teachers. The year-long class was at an art studio. But not just any art studio. Art & Soul uses all media (song, movement, visual arts, poetry, drama) and reaches far beyond the chosen medium to the source of the media. That is, what's inside that makes the art. That means a lot of emotional and psychological flotsam and jetsum can be dug up in these sessions. At the conclusion of one particular day of digging, our teacher had us close our eyes. She acknowledged that many of us had experienced some signifcant pain in our lives or were currently. But, she reminded us, we could always find reasons to be grateful.
So, Arunima, I think of you either directly or on some conscious level when I look to the skies with gratitude. I will always remember you directing us to the gift of nature as an eternal font of gratitude. Driving Grace to school the other morning, I watched the sun rise and whispered "thank you." My current teacher reminds me to begin my first-morning meditation by thanking the four corners of the earth, starting with the East. The sun rises there and without its' beautiful golden glory, we would have no life. The West is sometimes the least easy to thank. In Native American culture, from the West comes the wind, rains and storms. And from the West come our trials in our lives. But without them we would not learn. Next, I thank the South and all the beautiful things that I have seen growing that previous day. The flowers, the trees. And then the North that provides our cover, our nuture, our succour.
Each day, I see this view, pictured above, or some form of it. It is the land trust that borders my new back yard. I am grateful. In the beauty, the bounty, the nuture and in the lessons that teach me. Happy thanksgiving to all. May you find joy in the bounty of your blessings this special day of Thanksgiving and in everyday. And: Thank you for reading "The Journey with Grace."
Namaste.
“Gratitude should not be just a reaction to
getting what you want, but an all-the-time gratitude, the kind where you
notice the little things and where you constantly look for the good,
even in unpleasant situations. Start bringing gratitude to your
experiences, instead of waiting for a positive experience in order to
feel grateful.” — Marelisa Fábrega
