Hello and welcome to the Gratitude Breakfast Club,
A quick morning meet-up to help you jump-start or maintain your gratitude practice.
We'll make it quick because we know you have things to do on this beautiful day.
Hello,
Beautiful ones.
When you were younger,
Were you someone who stayed up under the covers at night reading a book you just couldn't put down despite it being past your bedtime?
Knowing you would pay the price in the morning but not caring because the book was just that good?
I was,
And to the extent that my body allows me to do that now,
I still am.
I love reading.
I keep a running list of recommended books categorized by who recommended them as a draft email.
That way,
It's accessible whenever and wherever I need it,
And I can remember who to thank for the books I particularly enjoy.
Reading,
Especially reading books,
Confers so many benefits,
And let me highlight a few for you now.
Reading encourages empathy.
By reading,
We practice taking into account other people's experiences,
Perspectives,
Thoughts,
And feelings.
And of course,
If we are increasing our compassion and empathy in this way,
That allows us to foster better social connections,
Which has its own wonderful benefits.
Reading also improves our critical thinking skills,
As well as our problem-solving and cognitive processing ability.
When we're reading,
We're taking in large amounts of information,
Holding onto that information,
Sorting it,
And making it make sense until we finish the book,
And even after.
When we read,
We're actually activating multiple different areas of the brain.
One study says as many as 17 different areas.
It's a whole brain activity that exercises our brain and supports better brain health.
While the jury is out on whether reading can prevent dementia,
There is research that suggests that reading reduces the risk of cognitive decline.
And finally,
Reading reduces stress,
Much in the same way that meditation does,
And it can also improve sleep.
For a variety of reasons,
A book that we've enjoyed in the past is a book that we may not enjoy rereading now.
Either we've changed or times have changed,
But I would argue that doesn't minimize the benefits that we received from reading the book in the first place.
I would actually argue that our re-evaluation of our enjoyment allows us to get even more out of the book.
So today,
I thought we could take a moment to appreciate reading and books.
In your journals,
Please take a moment to recall a book you really appreciate.
Jot down why you appreciate the book and any other details that you recall,
Such as who recommended it to you or how you found out about the book.
Think about the experience you had while you were reading it.
Take the time to savor and appreciate that you had that wonderful experience.
An experience that you may not even have known at the time was providing you with so many benefits.
With love,
Appreciation,
And gratitude,
This is Karen.
