Our human family is certainly experiencing life so unequally distributed, and my heart feels for those who are deep in it. I pray for your well-being, for a just world and for the healing of our Earth.
Last week I had the privilege to go on a camping trip with a friend. From Santa Fe, we adventured to White Sands National Park in New Mexico and Big Bend National Park in Texas, right on the boarder of Mexico. To say I feel blessed to have had this experience is an understatement.
My gratitude for this journey and all that I encountered has my heart full and soul enlivened.
On the road and in wild places, with the opportunity of slowing down, being quiet and listening to raw nature, I noticed myself giving thanks more often.
Saying these two simple words: thank you, I could feel my heart swell. I could feel my deep reverence for Life. I could feel my authentic Soul speak. I could feel my goodness mirrored back to me.
It is no secret that an attitude of gratitude supports relationships, physical & mental health, kindness, self-esteem, sleep and empathy. Science proves this.
But sometimes I / we forget.
So here is a gentle nudge of an email with a reminder to say your thank you’s. Yes, in the moments when it is appropriate and expected, like receiving a gift or a compliment, but also at those random, unexpected times.
Like …
- After you exercise and hydrate your body with a glass of water. Raise your glass – Water is Life!
- When you take a load off your body and sit on a boulder, park bench, couch or chair. This structure holds you and deserves your gratitude.
- On your birthday, thank your parents for bringing you in to this world. They did a lot of the work.
- Before you eat your food. There were tons of hands & resources who made it possible for you to enjoy such a meal.
- The difficult conversations & life experiences that teach you, grow you, heal you. These moments matter too.
- The morning minutes when you wake up and realize you are alive, take a deep breath of gratitude!
- For the Sun that gives us light, Vitamin D, food and so much more!
- To the person who drives you, flies you or takes you from point A to B, safely.
- When you catch yourself from a fall and you realize it could have been so much worse. Thank you!
- When you take your medicine, whether it is Claritin or Cannabis.
- As the sun sets, say thank you for another day of living and all that you experienced.
- For the song, movie, book or story that inspired you.
- For the hot shower / bath that soothed you.
I could go on, but I’d rather hear from you. What are you giving thanks for these days?
A warm welcome to leave a comment below. Hearing from you fills me up with gratitude, simply knowing we are connected.
Thank you for being my community, for reading this email & for being YOU – no one does it better!