I find the word gratitude a pleasant one. Even the way it sounds. It's a word that floats around but I've been hearing it alot this past week and I suspect it's due to Thanksgiving being around the corner. Ah yes, the one day where being thankful is emphasized. But wouldn't it be nice to practice gratitude on a daily basis? It can be difficult, especially since complaining, feeling negative and living life in constant motion is so darn easy.
Here are some tips I have come across:
For every bad thing that happens, think of 2-3 good ones. I had an experience a couple months ago where my car had a problem that a few mechanics couldn't detect. I do take responsibility for still driving around my car in such condition, and then one day it literally stopped, overheated, a mess. Deep in my soul I could've cried with all this happening, but the way everything went down I really could not help but laugh, laugh so hard I had tears in my eyes. I thought, I have 2 other people in the car and we are all safe and I managed to get my car home. It didn't mean that I was pleased as punch that all this occured but I really felt so much more calm and overall better.
Think and appreciate the journey your food took to get to you. Something as simple as an apple just didn't show up. It took soil and sun for the tree, the person that picked it, the person that delivered it to either a farmers market, a warehouse or grocery store and then you to get/purchase it. Whew! I believe if we could appreciate our food's journey we could have a better relationship with what nourishes us and pleases our palate.
Keeping a gratitude journal. It doesn't have to be anything fancy, a piece of paper or a notebook. Jot dot things that you are thankful for (preferably daily). It's the little things that make life so great and you can be thankful for something as simple as the person that held the door open for you.
Give thanks and celebrate your beautiful life!
