Gratitude is a magic power. It has the ability to transform mind, body, and soul. It can recalibrate sadness and reframe circumstances. This is partly why Thanksgiving is such a poignant holiday, it can help attune us to all the beautiful people, experiences, and things that surround us all the time but mostly go unnoticed. Thanksgiving invites us to slow down and reflect on what we love that’s already in our lives and refocus on what matters most. And although it can feel like a mad rush with family and festivities, what’s underneath all the doing is our grateful hearts for everyone and everything that make us feel loved and at home.
There’s no end to the list of what we can be grateful for once we start looking. Almost every morning I stand on the deck filled with gratitude while watching the sunrise over the Blueridge mountains. I’m grateful for the hot cup of tea warming my hands, my dog licking my nose, or the leaves falling like rain. Gratitude comes in so many packages, all we have to do to unwrap them is notice them, and Thanksgiving offers us just that opportunity. It’s a time to get centered, stay grounded, and recognize everything we’re truly grateful for.
The truth is gratitude is a beautiful reality check. If you’re reading this from a warm, cozy chair you are one of the lucky ones. You have the luxury of time and space to reflect on and explore your inner terrain. So many people struggle to just get by, are pulled in a million different directions, or endure one calamity after another and miss out on the gentle gifts gratitude bestows. Taking a moment to realize just how lucky you are is gratitude in action. It’s the ability to be in the middle of your regular activity and slow down long enough to sink into the realization of just how much you have to be thankful for.
This year go ahead and write it down, make what you’re grateful for concrete, give your thanks a voice, and then share it with the ones you love. Sharing the gratitude and thankfulness you feel only creates more of it, and reveals even more places where gratitude and thankfulness can slip in and be seen. This is yet another magical element of gratitude, the more we give the more receive. Gratitude can be such an overlooked gift but once recognized it opens up all kinds of doors and leads to different ways of seeing and new ways of looking at old situations.
Being grounded in gratitude makes it that much easier to pass it on. So don’t hold back, spread the gratitude around in as many ways as you can think of and even a few off-beat ways that may not immediately come to mind. When I come home after a particularly tough day I literally thank my house for being a peaceful haven and a refuge from all the craziness. Go ahead and thank the trees and plants for the clean air you breathe, your car for getting you where you need to go, or whatever else you are grateful for, in addition to thanking those you love. What we take care of takes care of us. Centered, grounded, and grateful means living thoughtfully with an open heart and mind.
Wishing you a Happy Thanksgiving Week. May every moment of preparation be a celebration grounded in gratitude for all the joy and love that surrounds you in so many ways. And may thankfulness find its way into more and more moments of your life all year long helping shift the way you see things and how you choose to show up in the world.
And that’s certainly something to be grateful for.
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