What can we do to make the environment right for gratitude?
Petals Opening up Towards the Sun
The lilies in my pond open up each day, petals open towards the sun, when the sun is high in the sky. Then they close up tight in their buds protected as the cool weather of late afternoon returns. The dahlias and gardenias on my porch bloom and bloom and bloom. New flowers emerging and cycling throughout the summer. It is the season of blooming and as always nature is here to show us how to live.
What does it take for these flowers to bloom? Plenty of water and sunlight and nutrients from the soil or the pond water. It has me pondering about what it takes for my gratitude to bloom. Noticing, being open to the possibility of gratitude, writing down what I am grateful for. Noticing is like the water. My gratitude just withers away if I don’t pay attention to all there is around me to be grateful for. Being open to the possibility of gratitude is like the sun. My gratitude will survive for awhile even when I am not open to it. But eventually the gratitude will stop blooming. And finally writing down gratitude is the nutrients. The roots of gratitude are very strong and they will keep on blooming maybe even for a full season even without those nutrients. But it’s not sustainable. Gratitude might emerge but it won’t flourish. The more I am practicing gratitude it is like fertilizing the soil and those blooms are prolific.
These are the three elements that make the environment right for my gratitude. What makes your gratitude bloom?
Thanks to life, which has given me so much | It gave me hearing that, in all of its reach | Records night and day crickets and canaries | Hammers and turbines, bricks and storms | And the tender voice of my beloved.
~Violeta Parra
What makes your gratitude bloom?
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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]