If You Said Thank You 100 Times

 

It is Passover and as my friends shared photos of their Seder it reminded me of a Jewish teaching I heard. It calls for all Jewish people to recite 100 blessings every day. The story behind the tradition is: During the reign of Kind David, there was terrible plague that took the lives of exactly 100 people each day. The rabbis at the time perceived the plague’s spiritual cause and instituted the practice of reciting 100 blessings per day. The plague immediately stopped.

 

It has me thinking about our written gratitude practices and how there is so much more gratitude we experience than what we write. If I said thank you when gratitude emerges and thanked every person I came into contact with and said thank you for every bit of food and drink I am blessed with every day and stopped to say thank you for the breath that is ever my companion, and the pain-free movement of my body then surely there would be 100 or even more.

 

This is not just a religious idea. Our quote this week from Albert Einstein talks about one hundred times every day acknowledging and appreciating people who our lives depend on. So whether you focus on people, food, breath, the natural world, unexpected impromptu blessings, or all of the above, what can you do to mark those with a thank you. It could be a silent thank you, a verbal thank you, a bowed head, a hand on the heart, or something else that speaks to you.

 

 

A hundred times every day I remind myself that my inner and outer life depends on the labors of other men, living and dead, and that I must exert myself in order to give in the same measure as I have received and am still receiving.
~Albert Einstein

What are you grateful for every single day?

LEARNING: About a month ago I read of a woman and her family that have a weekly technology sabbath, or day of rest. It appealed to me but I have yet to incorporate it into my life. Last week when I left town I forgot my phone. I am not one of those people who forgets things like that, especially when leaving town. So I took it as something I unintentionally desired. It was so very different being in an airport without a phone. Once I arrived at my destination it helped me to connect with my friend who I was visiting and to check in with myself to see what I really wanted to do without scrolling through social media. Technology and social media both facilitate my gratitude practice and stand in the way of it. Very interesting.

FORGOTTEN GRATITUDE: Last week I was also grateful for playing in the woods … Not working. Seriously. Not working at all for four days in a row while I was out of town … Missing my love.

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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]