This is a blog entry from a blog I had a few years ago... The blog was all about how practicing gratitude changed my life.
I truly believe if we could all just be grateful for what we have, we’d all be more present and truly content. I know people will argue “well, what about the homeless person, or the people in Baltimore that are feeling injustice in their community?” Even in the most terrible circumstances, there is always SOMETHING to be grateful for. Breathe in, breathe out – those are two big ones.
When you start to practice gratitude, I guarantee that you will instantly become happier. If that’s the only thing that happens, I think it’s still pretty awesome. Who doesn’t want to be happier?
But what gratitude has done for me is it has opened my eyes to the world. I used to live my life with blinders on, going from one thing to the next, never living in the moment. Appreciating what I have right now has heightened my awareness of who I am in the world and how short my time is in this life.
Today, I have to smell my little boy’s sweet hair because he will soon be a grown man. Today, I have to listen to my daughter’s silly stories because soon she will be a mother herself. Today, I have to hold my husband’s hand because our time together on this plain won’t last forever. Gratitude has made me appreciate what I have today. What I have right now.
So start including gratitude in your life today. That’s your homework. Simply list 5 things that made your day special, close your eyes and really feel that appreciation from your heart. Do this for a week and tell me what it’s done for your soul.
Today I’m grateful for snuggles with my baby boy on the couch, silly conversations with my daughter while we did dishes, running into an old friend who commented on my weight loss, a quiet corner at the cafe to write and a perfect little chocolate macaron for dessert. These are simple things but they are the moments that make up the sweetness of life.
What are you grateful for today?
No comments:
Post a Comment