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Being Grateful Without the Desire to Possess It
Staying grateful through the holidays. A Beautiful Exchange That Inspired Me She complimented me on my earrings. And then she added “they are great on you.” She explained that in many cultures when you compliment something, and seem to be captivated by it, the custom is to give it to them. So she said…
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Gratitude with Eyes Wide Open
Kid President has some beautiful words to inspire us this week. Practicing Gratitude Is Not about Ignoring the Bad Don’t be afraid of the bad. The sad. The hurt. I’m sorry. I don’t want to tell you how to feel. Be afraid if you must. But don’t close your eyes. Look at the bad.…
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Every Aspect of Our Lives Is a Vote
How many times today did you vote for the kind of life you want to live in? That Negativity All Around Us Right Now Do you ever find yourself having the same conversation with different people? That happens a lot for me. Most recently it is about the negativity in this election. It’s just…
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And Then I Learned That I’ve Known Abundance All Along
In a field of tall grass I learned two incredible lessons about abundance. And then as I wrote this I realized that tomorrow I celebrate my 2000th gratitude post! As I wrote this I discovered that tomorrow will be my 2000th gratitude post. I walked into that field and all that grass had grown…
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Why I Drop F-Bombs in My Gratitude
Swear Words Are an Invitation I never realized that declaring, “We want to be fucking grateful,” would be such a siren song for so many people. I was just speaking from my truth. Yes, I say fuck. I wasn’t raised that way. (Sorry mom.) And I turn it off when I’m around children or…
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A Nest, An Altar, An Amulet, Your Favorite Stone
I can hold it in my hand and know that I am home, that everything is OK, that I am safe. Creating Your Grateful Place No matter where you are or what circumstances surround you, gratitude remains a choice. But that choice may not present itself when you are immersed in whatever comes at…
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Float with the Flow
Flowers against my skin, dew transferred and absorbed, flowing with nature, united. Nature and My Nature I awoke before dawn. The magnificent colors of sunrise precede the actual emergence of the sun by quite a bit here. The sun languidly comes up when it is ready. Before the sun joined us I noticed…
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Freedom to Choose
With a broken elbow she was apologizing for not being more positive. Is there ever a good enough reason to complain? I Hereby Grant You Permission to Complain Complaining is a choice. So is gratitude. I practice gratitude every single evening but I also complain. A lot. I am not all gratitude because…
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Gratitude Sharing Amidst a Storm
We sat quietly, taking cover from the desert sun, as the meditation began a storm blew through. The Smell of Onions Unseen. A Healthy Body. The Colorful Mountains. A Safe Place. We gathered. We, who are all about gratitude, sat together. We took cover from the dry desert sun in the shade, cooled by…
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Giving Yourself Permission – Try it this week!
Mind Over Thoughts A miraculous thing happened this weekend. A simple thing that really did feel like a blessing, a gift, magic. And it was all in my head. I have been more stressed than ever dealing with a terrible financial crisis, one that puts many people at risk. I have had trouble sleeping almost…
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100 Thank Yous from Judaism to Einstein
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…
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The Lure in 5, 4, 3, 2 …
It Grabs Hold of You So seductively it draws you in. It knows that you can’t take your mind off of it. It’s the smart thing to do. It’s the right thing to do. And soon it’s all you think about. It is the future. Even in gratitude tomorrow grabs hold. That…
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The Worst Things about Yourself
Leaning In I was listening to an interview of advice columnist, Ask Polly, aka Heather Havrilesky. The interviewer asked her for advice on how to Be a Person in the World (the title of her upcoming book) and this was her answer. You’ve gotta lean way into what you already are. Lean way the…
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A Practice to Bring You Closer Together
Is There Someone You’d Like to Connect With? You know I’m always talking about how important noticing is as a first step to being grateful. That can be true for nature, our work or home, and also for the people we care about. Is there someone you would like to have a deeper connection…
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David Bowie on Entrenched Negative Thinking
Staying True to Ourselves, David Bowie Has Always Showed Us How Last night David Bowie passed away. He was one of those people who was so extremely creative that everything he did pushed our limits of understanding of art and of how the world works. There is an interesting dynamic in his costuming…
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Solstice Gratitude – In the Dark of Night
On This Darkest Day of the Year Look inside and find your light; say thank you. On this darkest day of the year, Peer into your heart and into your mind; say thank you. On this darkest day of the year, Go outside and touch the earth; say thank you. On this darkest…
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Are You Saying Sorry Instead of Thank You?
Say It Like You Mean It I’m so inspired by this cartoon and concept. It resonates with me but I’ve had trouble incorporating it into my life. Mostly I realized I said sorry instead of thank you after the fact when I reflect back on my day. So here is my reflection of when…
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Change Your Mind in Five – a Gratitude Meditation
Unplug. Breathe. Take a Few Minutes Just For You. This time of year can get hectic. We are pulled in many directions with work and family and friends and events. Preserving traditions and making our own traditions. Adapting to celebrating the holidays without those who have left us. Sometimes we are an after-thought. Let’s…
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Confuse Your Family with Being Grateful for the Dismissed
Show Everyone That It’s Not Just the Big Five Whenever I ask people, “What are you grateful for?” without any other direction almost everyone says the same thing. I call these the big five: Being alive, Family, Health, Friends, God. It reminds me of going around the table at Thanksgiving sharing our gratitude and…
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I Keep Getting Stood Up … By the Moon
Make Room for Gratitude I started a practice of moon bathing and I committed to doing it for at least one week. (You can too! Join us in the Moonbathers group.) This started in part because I have found that some of my best memories of solitude involve sitting outside at night alone under the…