Since I can’t jump off the boat for a swim, I’m back in the Magen’s Bay habit. It’s my early morning exercise: physical, mental and spiritual. I walk or paddle board and then get down to work at my office under the sea-grape tree where I’ve been getting a better internet connection than at home.
Beach time is precious and well spent. Not only do I keep my body in shape, but the chatter in my head die downs. I delight in what’s right in front of me: the sand and the sea, sea glass, the people, the birds etc… I breathe deeply and let the good stuff bubble to the surface: the juicy ideas, epiphanies and aha’s. I daydream. I de-clutter my mind and see what’s left – what’s important. I can hear my inner guidance/intuition/heart better if I get quiet and listen carefully.
I have seized the moment and have adopted the holiday theme of Thanksgiving, gratitude, appreciation.
I decided – on my walk this morning – to practice what I preach, make it real and let you know what I find out: Test out the G-list.
As I was walking I began a mental gratitude list. I said thank you for everything that I appreciate in my life, starting with the obvious – good health, the beach, that I live in such a gorgeous place, have great friends, family, my poodles, enough to eat etc…. Once I got started, I couldn’t stop.
I kept walking and thinking of more and more that I was grateful for – and literally my heart started to grow bigger in my chest and I was feeling so good I ended up walking another 1.5 miles saying thank you and I wasn’t even done. To tell the truth I could have kept going – walking and saying thank you – but I was thirsty and eager to get my computer out of the car and begin to put my thoughts down.
The more I focus on what I am grateful for, the more I realize how much I have to be grateful for. It’s like turning on a faucet and watching the stream flow stronger and stronger until it turns into a waterfall. My gratitude list primed the pump, the pressure is great and the energy of gratitude is circulating inside and out.
I ask my clients to keep gratitude journals. Some of them pooh pooh it (like I did), especially when they are not feeling particularly grateful. I say, ” try it out for a week and see what happens” and ask them to write down 3-5 things for which they are grateful at the end of each day. If they have more things to list – go for it. If not, 3-5 are perfect.
The people who do it report feeling lighter, happier and more grateful. Looking for something to put on the list flexes the muscle of gratitude and like all muscles it gets stronger with use.
People notice that when they are grateful for something it keeps showing up in their lives. They become aware that when they complain and are negative those things also keep showing up in their lives.
It’s wonderful to have a special day when we gather together in families and tribes based on blood and/or friendship, share delicious food and each others company and give thanks for our bounty.
Life improves by leaps and bounds when I take the time to be grateful each and every day. It may be writing in my journal, being mindful in everything I do or taking the time to say thank you, thank you thank you ….. as I walk along the shore, the waves lapping at my toes.
Reporting from the field, the beach: When I thought of things I was grateful for, I immediately began to feel better (and I had been feeling pretty OK before). I noticed that when my mind started to veer toward the the dark side that if I thought of something to be grateful for, it was as though someone turned on a light.
Whatever you are doing today, sprinkle it with gratitude. Find something right here and now to appreciate starting with the fact that you are alive and breathing. Appreciate something about each and every person you meet throughout the day. In every situation find something to be thankful for ( you finished a book in the horrible traffic jam or got a good nights sleep because the power went out – you know, those silver linings).
I am grateful that you are reading this post and hope you catch my Magen’s Bay attitude of gratitude – and surf (run) with it.
Annie, you are such a gift. And after reading you blog posting, I am filled with a deeply profound gratitude for having had such a fantastic opportunity to spend time with you. Thank you, Thank you, Thank you! And my gratitude spreads like ripples in a pond, encompassing all aspects of my life, and reaffirming the wonder and greatness of the universe. OK, I’m starting to get a little too eloquent here…bottom line is thanks for the reminder to be grateful…moment to moment, Its good to be alive!
Dave, I think we may be plugged into a kind of gift exchange – with the universe as ‘Secret Santa’ and wow, I love my gift. Glad to hear you’re feeling the ‘present(s)” too. xxx