A moment of gratitude,
Holiday memories.
The start of the school holidays and the summer season often mean taking a holiday,
But this year that may be different with all the restrictions that are in place due to the coronavirus.
Whilst this is disappointing,
We can take some time to revisit and have gratitude for a previous holiday.
Why do this?
Because although we may not be able to get to the places we had planned to,
We can use this as an opportunity to indulge in a little nostalgia and to think about and have gratitude for those special times we have been fortunate to experience.
For today's moment of gratitude,
I would like to invite you to think of a previous holiday.
Maybe it was your last holiday or your favourite holiday,
Or maybe it's a holiday from your childhood.
If you haven't a memory to think of,
Maybe there was a special day that you can recall being joyful and removed from the usual daily activities.
Bring an image to mind,
Maybe of the area you were in,
The beach or the countryside,
Or maybe a beautiful town or city.
Make the colours in this image really bright.
Don't worry if you're not a visual person,
There is another activity to try coming up in a moment.
Think about any sounds you could hear.
Was it hot or cool?
Now think about where you were staying.
Were you camping in a tent or staying in a cottage or hotel?
What were the furnishings like?
Now think of some of the highlights,
The company you were spending time with,
The food,
The music.
Sometimes on holiday we have time to do things we don't get a chance to at home.
Maybe you read a particular book,
Played a game or joined in the entertainment at the venue.
From these images we have an opportunity to savour those feelings again and express gratitude for those experiences.
David Ludden on Psychology Today says family,
Friends and food all serve as what psychologists call retrieval cues that trigger memories.
So the next activity I would like to suggest is to recreate some of the elements of that memory at home.
Maybe you can recreate some of the food from your holiday,
Re-read that book or play that game again.
Maybe you could make a playlist of the same music you listened to.
I will always associate the Beyonce song Halo with cocktails by the pool.
Another savouring activity is to bring up your photos from that holiday if you have them.
Maybe run a digital slideshow or get them printed and create an album.
We may not be able to recreate the weather,
The pool or the views but we can use those retrieval cues to help us enjoy elements of that time again and have gratitude for the experiences we had.
Until next time,
Always have gratitude.
