Gratitude: Being Here, Now

With Thanksgiving around the corner, we’re thinking about what we’re grateful for. There are the obvious things that it’s easy to spot: reasonably good health, a roof over our heads, food in our bellies. And then, there are the things that aren’t always obviously “good”: relationships that push our edges, wet weather, missed connections.

Cultivating an attitude of gratitude with whatever shows up in our lives is a great way to loosen the grip of anxiety on our minds and hearts. It shifts our perspective out of the drama triangle of villain/victim/hero, giving us the space we need to see into the heart of why we’re here on this planet, with these people, in this moment.

Practicing mindfulness meditation creates ease by giving us some distance from our thoughts; practicing gratitude takes us even deeper into the moment. When you’re truly, madly, deeply grateful for this moment, you are completely alive to whatever it holds. Maybe it’s a beautiful moment, holding someone you love in a warm hug. Maybe it’s a challenging moment, sitting on an airplane circling (again) due to weather conditions.  Whatever is going on in this moment, your mission, should you choose to accept it, is to be grateful for the spark of life it holds, to marvel at the miracle of this moment. 

This Thanksgiving, try practicing gratitude in each moment (or at least, whenever you remember to do it). Try practicing deep listening with the people in your life whose opinions are different from yours. Try simply being here, now. We’ll be right there with you.