Welcome!
Today's talk and short meditation is on the subject of gratitude.
So gratitude is not exactly the same as being thankful.
Gratitude doesn't come as a response to something you've been given or earned.
That's more like being thankful.
Gratitude is a much deeper way of living that comes from an awareness of being in the moment.
It's an appreciation that even though we might have difficult things going on in our lives,
And most of us do,
That there is still some good in our lives.
There is still some well-being that is also present along with something that might be difficult.
And so in a moment we're going to do a short meditation that helps us notice these things that are good or that support our well-being throughout our daily life.
So this can be thought of as gratitude practice because it helps to train our mind to look for the good and savor the good in our life when we experience it.
So this is called a five-point gratitude practice because we will be bringing to mind five different points of things to focus on.
And so at first I just invite you to close your eyes if you wish to or you can leave them open with a low gaze,
Something neutral in front of you.
You might just take a moment to kind of notice your body sitting in the chair,
Your feet touching the ground,
Just kind of noticing the weight of your body in the chair,
How it's kind of holding us,
Supporting us.
And if you wish to you might bring a few deeper breaths to the body with a nice long exhale sending a signal to our nervous system that everything's okay in this moment right now.
And when you're ready I invite you to bring to mind the first point of gratitude which is something that's going well in your life,
Something kind of big and broad like maybe you were under the weather or sick before and you're feeling good now or things are going well at school or things are going well with your friends.
Just something kind of big and broad.
It might even be something good that happened to a family member or a friend of yours,
Something big and good that happened to them that you might be happy for.
And so bring to mind this kind of bigger more broad thing that you are grateful for in your life.
And you might repeat in your own mind,
I am grateful for this thing.
I am grateful for this good thing in my life.
Name that thing in your mind.
And then moving to the second point of gratitude,
Just bringing to mind something small or really basic that you enjoy in your life.
A favorite meal or for me it's my favorite coffee mug that yes if it broke or if I lost it I would actually really miss it.
I'm grateful for this small thing in my life.
So just bring to mind something simple and uncomplicated that actually does bring happiness to you.
And say to yourself in your own mind,
I am grateful for this thing,
Whatever this thing is.
I am grateful for.
And the third point of gratitude,
Bringing to mind a person.
It doesn't have to be your main person,
Just somebody who's been kind to you or helped you out.
Could be somebody at home,
Family member,
It could be a counselor or a teacher at school,
Could be a neighbor.
Just anyone who you're actually grateful that they are in your life.
That if they were not there you would really miss them.
So just getting an image of them in your mind's eye.
Maybe they're smiling,
You're seeing their face,
They're in front of you.
And in your own mind you're just noticing this gratitude that they're in your life.
And say to yourself in your own mind,
I am grateful for their name.
I am grateful for this person.
And then moving to the fourth point of gratitude,
Tuning in to something about ourself that we're actually really grateful for.
This could be something like a skill,
Something you can do,
Or a trait,
Or even something about your appearance.
A nice smile,
Kindness,
Beautiful handwriting,
You're a musician.
Anything about yourself that you actually do appreciate that you kind of don't think about,
That you don't feel grateful for on a regular basis.
So just reflecting on yourself in that way,
Bringing that quality,
Or skill,
Or trait to mind.
Just feeling the appreciation that you can do this thing,
Or you have this quality.
And say to yourself in your own mind,
I am grateful for this aspect of myself.
Thinking about it.
I am grateful for this thing about myself.
And then letting that go,
We'll just bring to mind the last point,
Which is something in this exact moment right now that you are thankful for.
Maybe the weather outside,
Or a favorite snack,
Or feeling good in the moment,
Or just grateful for a little break in your day that you can make time for yourself right now.
Just thinking right now,
In this room,
In this moment,
Something that you are grateful for.
And saying to yourself,
I am grateful for this thing right now,
In the present moment.
I am grateful for.
This practice is actually really great to do a few times a week,
Or whenever you think about it,
Because the prompts are going to be the same,
But the conditions of our life are different.
And so that means each time that you do it,
You're bringing to mind different things that you are grateful for.
Something big,
Something small,
A person,
Something about yourself,
And something in the present moment.
So gratitude is really something that we kind of cultivate as a habit,
Or an attitude of mind.
And it doesn't mean that everything in our life has to be perfect.
In fact,
It's the opposite.
Even when things are tough,
We can still look for things to be grateful for.
And that really supports our resilience and well-being.
May you see the goodness in yourself and in others.
Have a peaceful day.
