Gratitude

I am aware that having a “Gratitude Practice” is all the rage right now. 

In the past, I would periodically make lists of the things I was grateful for in my life, and it was good.  It felt nice and right and like I was helping myself be more positive and upbeat. And then out of habit maybe, or maybe my Guides were nudging me along, I began to wake up thinking about what I was grateful for.  Unprompted, I would think about how grateful I was for simple things like coffee in the morning, my comfortable bathrobe, the birds singing, my dog. But it wasn’t until I read that practicing gratitude daily was linked to higher levels of happiness (I can’t remember where I read this) that I realized I was feeling happier.  Quite a bit actually.  I think about how lucky I am to have comfortable shoes and beautiful trees that offer cool shade on my long walks, funny squirrels to entertain me and the gorgeous lake that I frequent.

I told a friend recently how much I have been enjoying this summer. He wondered if it was because I had given myself a bit more space to breathe, and permission to take trips to the lake and other summer adventures.  I thought about it and realized it was because I am enjoying the little moments. The sun streaming through my porch in the morning, the sound of kids playing in the neighborhood, my sacred work with my beloved clients. And I do know that it started with the conscious decision to notice what I was grateful for in my life. And then it morphed into what feels like deep, warm, happiness. 

May you find your way, in your way, to a beautiful summer. 

In Gratitude,

Martha