Good morning,
Everybody.
I wanted to share with you just a simple gratitude practice that I have incorporated into my life for at least 25 years.
When we think about gratitude,
We often just feel like,
Of course,
I'm thankful.
I'm thankful for my friends and my family,
My house,
My job,
Food on the table,
And those are really obvious things to be grateful for.
And the practice that I've incorporated over the last 25 years-ish is to spend time every day recognizing three to five things that I'm grateful for and why.
Because I feel like it's very easy to just simply say,
I'm grateful for my family,
Grateful for my friends,
My house,
My car,
My job.
But why are we grateful for those things?
Oftentimes,
Our family can make us crazy.
So why are we just saying just automatically grateful for my family?
Let's talk about why.
And then I want to encourage you,
As you do this gratitude practice,
And you begin it,
Not just on Thanksgiving,
But you start to incorporate gratitude into your daily life,
You spend time either writing it down,
Jotting it in an app in your phone,
Speaking it out loud.
I find that writing it is more powerful because when you feel a bunch of sadness or lack and limitation in your life,
You can easily go back to that notebook and just see the abundance in your life.
I think it's really important.
But if you're not a writer downer person,
That's okay.
Recognizing each and every day what you are grateful for.
So I would love for you to just close your eyes.
And I want you to just listen to a list of gratitude that we often overlook.
And then I will give you some space just to sit and list your own inside your quiet head.
I'm going to turn my camera off,
Just so that you are not distracted by me.
Close your beautiful eyes.
Take a long breath in.
I am grateful for the sun.
I am grateful for the trees that provide shade in the hot summer.
I'm grateful for the beautiful green grass that comes and goes like a cycle.
I'm grateful for the birds and the sounds that they make.
I'm grateful for fresh drinking water.
I'm grateful for the spectrum of colors.
I'm grateful for the warmth of a sweater.
I'm grateful for the smile of a stranger.
I'm grateful for the gentle nod of an old man as I walk by.
I'm grateful for the fur on my animals.
I'm grateful for the warmth inside my home.
I'm grateful for my feet that assist me in traveling this world.
I'm grateful for my spine that carries me.
I'm grateful for my eyes that can see beauty every day.
I'm grateful for my heart as it pumps blood without being told,
Keeping me alive.
I'm grateful for the taste of coffee,
A bitter earthy taste.
I'm grateful for the gentle breeze that brings change.
I'm grateful for my neighbors who wave.
I'm grateful for the animal kingdom and the plant kingdom.
I'm grateful for the ability to love and be loved.
I'm grateful for the people in my life because they teach me,
Inspire me,
Support me,
And love me.
Take a few moments to list inside your mind a few things that are personal to you.
Take a long breath.
Empty the breath.
And begin to open your eyes.
As you go about your day,
Not just on Thanksgiving,
Consider the incredible amount of goodness in your life,
The incredible amount of amazing miracles that happen every single day.
Focus on those things.
And then tomorrow,
Find a whole bunch of new things to be grateful for.
And as you go about the days and you're searching for new things to notice,
It becomes a challenge and it becomes fun to see that maybe at one time,
That wild rambunctious kid standing in line at Starbucks used to irritate you,
And now you find the sound of giggles to be enchanting.
Once you unlock in your heart the ability to see and appreciate good,
Those little irritants are far less important.
All right,
Have a beautiful holiday,
Great Thanksgiving.
Continue your gratitude practice,
And I will see you soon.
Bye.
