It’s the weekend before Thanksgiving which lends itself to an
easy (if not obvious) thought of the week…that of gratitude. In the
past I have undertaken a gratitude practice via Facebook. I was asked
to join a group that set the intention of writing and sharing five
things that we are grateful for, every day for a month. I thought this
to be a great practice, one that I can share with a larger community,
but more importantly, a practice that reminds me of how incredibly
abundant my life is.
When we undertake a conscious choice to
acknowledge what we are grateful for, it brings us into the present
moment and allows us an opportunity to release negativity. When people
dwell on a pattern of thought that isn’t a reflection of their highest
self, it can be likened to a downward spiral, dragging our energy,
attitude and spirit into darkness. Our body reflects this in slumped
posture, illness or agitation and we become a short fuse in the world
that may ignite rapidly given the slightest chance.
If we find
ourselves trapped within the looping negative dialogue where nearly
every thought and sentence begins with something like:
“I’m frustrated with…
I don’t have enough…
I’ll never get…
I’m mad at…
I’m not worthy and…
This country is in a…”
Then maybe it’s time to undertake a serious gratitude overhaul!
One
of the many striking things about traveling through India was that
people generally seemed happy. Not only were they incredibly polite,
but how they greeted us as well, as the day seemed to hold an authentic
sense of thankfulness. So many of these people had much less in the
material world than we here in the States, yet their industriousness
seemed to hold an underlying sense of being thankful for the chance to
make a difference in our experience.
When we sit each day and
engage in an inner dialogue that conjures up all that we’re thankful
for, it’s as though a switch is flipped. We shift our perspective away
from what appears to be lacking to what is present in our lives. A
practice of gratitude allows us to remember all that we are, all that we
have and all that we can do. It’s more than enough when you get right
down to it.
So, for this Thanksgiving and the next few weeks, I
will stay committed to my daily gratitude practice. Feel free to join
me…you’ll be thankful you did!
