Grrratitude

Grrratitude

Lately I seem to be talking a lot about tools, awarenesses, and insights that have made a big difference in my life, and the lives of a lot of other people, too. I like to review these things, because sometimes I forget about ‘em in all the daily day-to-day-ing.

Today, I pulled the card, “Why am I grateful?” Thinking about gratitude, appreciation, I started feeling grateful, and noticed what a relaxed, soft, open feeling it is. A deep breath feeling.

It made me think of the Sunshine Hand.

Many years ago, I was sunbathing on a cool, partly cloudy day. The sun would peek out, and fill my palm with sunny warmth. I closed my hand to try to hold it, and, of course, it was gone, but left in its place a profound life lesson. I can only feel the sunshine in my palm when my hand is open.

I can only receive the bounty of the Universe when I am open.

Gratitude and appreciation help me to open my heart.

Why am I grateful? How do I appreciate? What makes me open my heart?

Somedays, gratitude flows through me like a creek in the spring thaw, so much gratitude that I wonder how it is possible. But somedays, it’s a little less, like it can be challenging to find one thing. i found a couple things that really help me with this. One, I have chosen to make it public by posting on facebook. It keeps me on it. The second are my go-tos for when I am feeling clenchy.

The weather is always a good one for me. I decided years ago that I would stop bitching about the weather, and find things to like about it instead. This proved to be a really smart thing. We can’t do anything about the weather. I can rail against it, or I can accept it. How life-like. By learning to appreciate the weather regardless of how it is, I learn to appreciate life, however it goes. Neat.

Loved ones are another good one for me. Even if I am feeling crabby about one, or even more than one,  person, there are always a lot of other people I love for whom I can feel appreciation. Sometimes I may appreciate their absence. Heh. That’s okay.

The things I consume are also a good one, from food and drink, to books, movies, TV shows, games. Sometimes I want a break from what I am doing. Or I want to make a shift in the way my day has been. Entertainment is one way I do that. I also make sure I have delicious, wholesome food and drink in my house that I really enjoy. I can appreciate a tasty bite.

The movement activities I enjoy every day. I love my qigong practice, it’s ridiculously fun and easy. I love my yoga activities, I love to walk, to dance, to just stretch. I do at least some of these pretty much every day, and always feel good for it. That makes it easy for me to appreciate them, and appreciate how they make me feel.

The contemplative activities I do each day, writing to you, meditating.

So now I have a nice list of thing to appreciate each day, and when I get one of those days where I feel stuck, or annoyed, or blue, I have a way to get started, and I know from experience that writing my list will make me feel better, it will loosen up a bad feeling so I can shift it into something else.

How have I changed from feeling entitled and clenched to soft and open gratitude?

(c) Pam Guthrie 2014 all rights reserved 07012014