Gratitude ...A Way of Life

Having gratitude seems like such a easy thing to do in our daily life and yet, we can get stuck in a rut around gratitude. I find myself in that rut from time to time. I would become a bit robotic in the sense I would find giving gratitude for the same couple things or situations and it becomes more of a routine than the deeper feelings intended with intense gratitude. Don't get me wrong - gratitude on any level is good and better than none at all. But imagine how much rewarding life is with a deeper feeling of gratitude. I have found to get to the deeper feeling of gratitude means taking a deeper look at myself. And believe me, that deeper look can be a bit scary at time. I didn't always see or find what we want to see or find and yet, it's during some of those scary times I would see things in myself to which I would not otherwise pay attention. And so my journey began many years ago, but certainly later than one would think. But it began. I have found part of that deeper look is setting some ground rules. Whatever was found, discovered, or acknowledged - positive or negative - 1) I will be okay without judgement and 2) I will find something to be grateful. My journey began with a journal - it just a notebook to carry around and would write down random thoughts, single sentences of something I saw or felt, a song title or lyric that brought a feeling, or even a thought I didn't know what to do with. I found that process allowed for all feelings to be acknowledged and I would sort some of those our later. Once I had a list of topics or feelings to ponder, I would find that feelings would surface to allow me to think more deeply about it, how it has impacted me and by setting the goal of searching for something to be grateful, it changed how I thought about all of it. Keeping those thoughts in mind as I would journey during my day, I would not wait just for feelings or topics to pop into my head to jot down but I would begin to seek it out. See a flower growing in unexpected place, seeing a wise face in the crowd, hearing the laughter of people on the street or seeing strangers praying together in a downtown church became the inspiration and it became the norm. And while willing to acknowledge positive as well as negative thoughts allow the judgement of myself began to fade away. And with that judgement fading away allowed for positive reinforcement and lessons in failures to surface but in the end gratitude. And at times, the ideas would not pop into my mind and my busy life would overshadow seeking out those opportunities and I get into the routine of gratitude for faith, family and friends, health, shelter and safety. And that is okay too. But I always have my journal with me for when those inspirations arise and when they are not quite there, the everyday routine is always there. Gratitude is a choice, and if you choose to dig deeper into life and into you, it can be a way of life. It does take some work but I promise the results are so worth it. And I am grateful today to share this with you. Thank you!