I am thankful to have been granted another year to practice gratitude.
Hopefully – with LOTS more practice – I’ll eventually get it right. ~ Lori
Practicing Gratitude
As Jon Kabat-Zinn says, “The little things? The little moments? They aren’t little.” Saying thank you, holding the door for someone, these little moments can change the tone of your whole day.
One of the most powerful ways to rewire your brain for more joy and less stress is to focus on gratitude. We have to practice gratitude for a good reason. Sometimes it is truly challenging. Savor the good. On days when gratitude feels difficult to find, tune into your senses.
Try this five-minute meditation practice.
- Use your breath to anchor yourself in the present moment. Give particular attention to feeling the breath, or something in the body, as you bring your shoulders down and orient your attention toward gratitude.
- Next, bring to mind what you are grateful for. Move through your senses, and find one thing that you appreciate seeing. It could be a color…a shadow…a shape…a movement.
- Now, shift to a scent you appreciate. Why does that glorious or interesting or subtle smell is making you smile?
- Moving on, to the sounds around you. Notice what it feels like to really listen. How many sounds do you hear? Perhaps a piece of music that brings you joy? Or maybe it’s the sound of children laughing, the sound of loved ones breathing?
- Finally, touch and texture beckons. If there’s someone near who you can hug or who can hug you, notice how this makes you feel filled with gratitude for the joy of human contact. Or perhaps you have a beautiful pet that you can stroke and cuddle, or some lovely material with a texture that feels warm to the touch, soft, evocative.
- As you end this practice, carry this attitude of gratitude with you. Offer your thanks to each person who does anything at all for you today. Even if it is their job to help you. When you’re grateful, when you let your heart open up and be filled with appreciation, notice how being grateful makes you feel.
We Are Thankful
Each year, at this time, the Merdes Law Office staff reflects and shares that for which we are most thankful. Even though 2021 saw the continuing challenges brought to every one of us by 2020, we each found that we all had something that inspired us to say “Thank You.”
Over the next week, Merdes Law Office will share our 2021 messages of thankfulness with you.
We hope they bring a smile to your face and a reminder that there is ALWAYS a reason to be thankful.
The Merdes Law Firm has been helping injured Alaskans for more than 30 years. It’s who we are. And while we hope you never need us … We’re here if you do. ~ Ward Merdes
Sources: Ward Merdes; Mindful; Lori Merdes
