I didn't really plan on writing about gratitude next, its something I'm always working on but also seems like its such a popular buzzword these days - you hear it all the time... so what more is can I really say that hasn't already been said ad nauseum? Well something happened the other night, not a huge thing, just something I really felt like talking about. I was really tired, it was the end of a long day and all the kids were finally in bed and all I wanted to do was collapse on the couch and have some relaxing "me time." But, there was a pile of dirty dishes sitting on the counter that I knew I would regret not washing in the morning. Sooo I filled up the sink and dug in. I didn't want to feel cranky and tired so I started thinking about "HAVE to" vs "GET to." Just that one little shift in thinking is really profound. I thought, "I GET to wash these dishes, because we just had a nice family dinner, where everyone had more than enough to eat. I GET to fill the sink with hot water right out of the tap that is safe for washing and drinking and I didn't have to walk miles and miles to get it. I GET to wash dishes because I can stand here and have the use of my arms and legs and hands. As I though of these things, I started to feel an overwhelming -sense of gratitude and a feeling of just how full and blessed my life is. I just felt so grateful and I felt happy and content. I felt so GOOD! I had to share how I felt , and went in the other room after I was done and thanked my husband for taking such good care of all of us. The point of this is not that I'm some paragon of gratitude and positive thinking, i'm just a work in progress just like everyone else; the point is just how powerful and tangible those feelings of gratitude really were. It was amazing (and I really think the word amazing is overused) how good I felt when I was focusing on these thoughts. So when I wonder, whats the point of practicing being grateful and I just want to be lazy and marinate in my cranky feelings I can remember what a good feeling it is and that its worth it!
Some other benefits of being grateful are
-Better sleep
-Less physical pain
-Better ability to handle change
-A sense of well-being
One way to practice every day is by writing in a 5 min gratitude journal the morning and at night. Its a short and concrete habit that I'd recommend to anyone. It gets my day started and ended on a positive note.
