The Practice

Let me start by saying, I know this is going to sound like Pollyanna. For those of you too young to understand the reference, Pollyanna was a fictional little girl who saw the good in everything. I don’t care if it sounds that way because it works.

There are a lot of things that I consider a “practice.” Practice to me means, there are things I strive to do, I “practice” doing, because I am not a master and realistically never will be. A few for me are Meditation, Yoga, Writing, Gardening, Learning… I could go on. The one I want to talk about is Gratitude. Okay, stop rolling your eyes.

Growing up, long before I knew about Oprah, Thich Nhat Hanh, or any other proponent of the practice, my mother told me she always tried to “be so grateful.” I can still hear her voice. This was not said in a religious context although I kind of took it that way. My mother was more “spiritual” that religious. If she had a church, it was being outside where she could see trees, the sky, the ocean, nature. When she would say it, I would nod as if I understood while probably internally rolling my eyes.  I have to say now, (as I have learned so, so many times about her) she was definitely on to something.

Only in the last year have I tried this “grateful thing.” Here is the way it works for me: I wake up, sometimes achy, sometimes sad, sometimes worried, sometimes full of anxiety, sometimes not wanting to get up at all, sometimes just blah. This sounds a bit dire, and I don’t mean it that way… it’s not always a negative… I’m using these examples as well, just that, examples. You may wake up feeling splendid. But I’m saying do the practice anyway. When I become aware of what I am feeling, I concentrate and find something I am grateful for. Three things. Always, at least three. It might be, “I’m grateful for the blue sky. I’m grateful that my covers are so warm. I’m grateful I can wiggle my toes.” It could be anything. It could be, “I’m grateful my husband is so kind, I’m grateful for taking a deep breath, I’m grateful for sunshine.”

I have to tell you, this practice is transformative. It just is. It changes everything. I’m not sure if it rewires your brain or what. (That was scientificJ) I just know it works.

 I am grateful for Sadie.