The Poetry of Emotion
Gratitude, like all emotions, is like artwork, expansive and uncontainable. Sometimes these feelings in my body last a long time while other times they are fleeting. This poetry of emotion sometimes emerges as a sensation in my body. Gratitude does not always show up the same way but a couple of these sensations have emerged again and again.
When I feel gratitude the strongest, it thrusts itself into the lower part of my throat just above the top of my sternum. There is tightness in my lower throat and chest that feels like my heart is swelling. This is that classic lump in my throat phenomenon though it seems to rest a little lower during these moments of being overcome with gratitude. In these moments I can distinguish this grateful feeling from anxiety or sadness which also creates a lump in my throat feeling. This is where I feel gratitude when it catches me by surprise. In these moments I am usually unable to articulate my experience because I am overcome with the emotion of it.
Other times gratitude feels like release, a release of tension throughout my body. My muscles relax like a big exhale that clears my mind. This release is similar to the feeling I get when I finish yoga and lay in savasana, relaxed, relieved, reenergized. This is where I feel gratitude when I practice written gratitude. In these moments there is calmness in my thoughts and my experience. It is in this state that I can articulate the gratitude and other emotions that I have experienced.
We may not be able to put this experience of gratitude into words. That’s OK, just feel it, notice it, be it, learn from it. Explore the questions without definitive answers.
- Where do you feel gratitude in your body?
- What color is your gratitude?
- If your emotions were animals which animal would your gratitude be?
[su_quote cite=”Robert Frost”]Poetry is when an emotion has found its thought and the thought has found words.[/su_quote]
This Week’s Gratitude Question
[su_button url=”http://www.ourgratitudecollective.com/activity/” background=”#178fb3″]What are you grateful to experience in your body?[/su_button]
My Gratitude Experience Last Week
I had a particularly hard day finding gratitude on Wednesday. I just went on writing my gratitude in a journaling style sharing what was true for me. Eventually gratitude emerged. The funny thing is that it was one day after my four year anniversary of daily gratitude writing. I guess it goes to show that this practice hasn’t just gotten easier and easier … it depends on the emotions that are alive in me on any given day. But it also shows that my gratitude has not lost its spark. There is always a realness there.
Forgotten Gratitude
Last week I was also grateful for the strong smell of Spanish Broom and Russian Olive tree blooms … The baby being OK, such a relief … Big flourishing bright red poppies growing out of a crack in the sidewalk.
A New eCard
Image by Antonia Montoya
The Gratitude I Shared Last Week
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| Sun | 5/10/2015 | What a delight seeing so many happy moms and happy families today at La Parada and Farm & Table, big smile, the joy of giving so very evident … I am so grateful for my mom and spending time with her and all the ways she takes care of us … I’m also grateful for my sisters all of whom are now moms, so loving, loyal, caring, gentle, kind and encouraging … It was such a relief earlier to just take care of my needs without even thinking about it, being quiet and listening, just being. |
| Sat | 5/9/2015 | I’m grateful for the smell of freshly ground Whiting french roast … Breaking off sections of an overwhelming project … Feeling a little bit better today. |
| Fri | 5/8/2015 | I’m grateful for that sneeze finally coming … Kindness, compassion and acknowledgment expressed; it’s never too late when it’s genuine … Time to rest and decompress. |
| Thu | 5/7/2015 | I’m grateful for the small things today … Spotting a toad hanging out on the lily pads in the pond, his eyes peeking out of his lily pad cover … A tiny spadefoot toad in the pond, such a rare sighting, a result of all the rains we’ve been having … Sears making good on their lifetime guarantee, I took in my many year old busted hose and got a brand new one … Sweet loving eye contact and nice hugs. |
| Wed | 5/6/2015 | A bit ago I was feeling uneasy and anxious, even dreading writing my gratitude. So yeah, these are those times when I need to change up my practice like share a photo, but I haven’t taken any photos, or write my gratitude earlier in the day but it’s a little late for that. So here I am. I realize what I need to do is change my scenery and be present. I’m sitting outside, listening to the train go by, the toads calling, the white noise of far away traffic and airplanes and the train getting further intermixed with crickets. I’m grateful to be here, to hear all these things … I’m grateful to have the evening chill in the air that tightens my skin with goosebumps … I’m grateful that my jaw finally relaxed and I can rest my body now, I’m off duty I can let go and drift away. Thankfully. |
| Tue | 5/5/2015 | I’m grateful for a hard but very important visit, you know really one of those things that no one wants for those they care about and I don’t either and no amount of gratitude really changes anything and yet still I feel grateful maybe even more so, for the stories of insight and strength and for all the people I have in my life and all the ways they show me love … I’m grateful for healthy comfort food and finding some comforting laughter … I’m grateful for our favorite sky and then some pink clouds on top. |
| Mon | 5/4/2015 | I’m grateful for my normal Mondays back … Getting back to focusing when distraction pulled heavy on my mind and heart … Gummy vitamins … Feedback that can help my improve. |
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[su_note note_color=”#e7e7e7″ text_color=”#686767″ radius=”0″] My gratitude journey started in May 2011 and continues to this day. Thank you for being a part of it! A daily gratitude practice is simple. Write down three things you are grateful for each day. Download your free GratitudeGuide. My clients focus on gratitude and learn from their successes to make the positive changes they want in their lives. You can too. Call me to set up our first meeting 505.333.9336. [/su_note]