Gratitude

First, my thanks to those who have accepted the invitation to join this blog. I hope to see some lively contributions and discussions among us here.

And second, I'd like to suggest that it is psychospiritually essential to be in an emotional, mental, physical, and energetic state of gratitude. Such a state creates a multi-layered dynamic within and around us that has healing power, that wards off stress, and that strengthens bonds of relationship (not just with people, but with the entire natural and built environments and their components).

Can you locate the sensation of gratitude inside yourself right now? What does that feel like for you? What are the qualities of gratitude that you experience in your bodymindspirit? Most of us probably leap to feeling grateful for other people we interact with and how they treat us with respect, compassion, caring, and love.

Now see if you can feel gratitude for the beauty of the view outside your window or of a lovely landscape held in your memory.

Accessing feelings of gratitude even in the midst of frustration, annoyance and stress is a stretch of our self-compassion muscles, but an exercise that has good benefit for body and soul. In commuter traffic, can you be grateful for the time to listen to NPR or a book on tape? During a sleepless night, can you be grateful for a soft bed and a warm dwelling?

And so I leave you to ponder how increasing our conscious awareness of being in gratitude for everything we experience is not just good for our health, it's a spiritual practice that sustains balance and wholeness, and contributes to a life well and lovingly lived.

Dr Deah's Musings
Copyright 2005-2006 by Liminal Realities
a personal growth education venture
Deah Curry PhD, publisher
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED