Give thanks for your blessings. Appreciate time with family. Think about those less fortunate. Every year, Thanksgiving reminds us of the importance of gratitude. It sticks throughout the holiday season. By January, focus wanes. Why is that?
Taking a minute each day to reflect on what you’re grateful for is one of the easiest things you can do for your health. It’s a habit shared by the happiest among us.
This post is the start of a little experiment. I emailed friends, family and clients asking for input to assemble a “grateful-themed” post. I suggested they prepare a sentence or two stating for what (or for whom) they were grateful—mentioning that it could be as profound, or sincere, or funny or cute as they would like it to be.
My hope was to assemble a very diverse listing of “I’m grateful for…” statements. I wasn’t disappointed. Take a look below and consider adding to the list… let others inspire your gratitude!
I’ll start things off. At Ayureka, we are grateful for all of the people in our lives… the treasures we have been given… and the goodness in which we live every day.
“This photo (see above) depicts the result of our annual family gratitude activity. Sitting around the table, we take turns cutting out shapes to hold the sentiments that we are each most grateful for. With busy lives, our family time is limited and precious to all of us. When you ask the kids what they want, they often reply with a whole long list of this and that. When you ask them what they are grateful for, it’s the things you hope it would be: family, friends, pets, time to express themselves, food and shelter. I am grateful for a holiday that asks us all to keep it in perspective and take some time to say, ‘I am already blessed’.” —Kate, Jake, Bela (9) & Hoyt (5)
“I would say I’m grateful for realizing it’s okay to have flaws, be human, and grow from mistakes and situations that don’t work out as planned.” —Emily (20)
“I try to be grateful every time I inhale! We are such amazing bio-machines. The complexity of the way we breath, eat, circulate nutrition within our warm bodies and expel the leftovers is really awe inspiring. Recently, my mother-in-law died. She exhaled and didn’t inhale again. When I hear someone say, “I lost a loved one, “ I want to laugh. You can lose your keys or your virginity, but people just die. One day, we stop inhaling and our bodies go cold. Life is so common (hell, everybody you meet is alive) and yet it is so fragile. The older I grow, the more I appreciate the people I love and even the ones that piss me off.” —Nan (58), Sophisticated Lesbian
“I am grateful to be celebrating my 9th Anniversary with a woman who lights up my life every day. Waking up with her every morning is like a small gift from the universe.” —Kevin (56), HAPPILY Married.
“After my funny, wonderful, surprising, entertaining, good-people family and friends, I am grateful for those who make the world better and fairer. Mandela. Martin Luther King. People who make me laugh b/c they see what’s silly in us: David Sedaris, Mark Twain, Molly Ivins. This gorgeous earth with its crazy assortment of living things. Outer space and inner oceans and the people who make us understand them even a little bit. Writers who provoke and enlighten. Musicians who seduce us into that hard-to-get-to place, living in the moment. For an enormous lot, I am grateful.” —Judy, mama, grandmama, sister, daughter, etc etc
“I am grateful for my children and grandchildren-that they are all healthy, very bright and very successful. I’m also grateful that I have had such a good life with your father.” —My mother
“I am grateful for vegetarians.” —“Tom” turkey
“I am grateful to live in a free country where we believe our rights are given to us as individuals from our creator.” —Laura (53), wife and mother of two
“I am thankful for my turkey because it’s thanksgiving and turkeys say gobble, gobble, gobble and I am thankful for Momma Bear, Poppa, Emmett and Louis” —Adalyn (3)
“Our healthy children” —Matt
“Every breath I take and the beautiful mountains around me. My amazing family and beautiful Healthy children” —Devon
“Thankful for dogs—I can only aspire to be the person my dog thinks I am. “ —Amy (46)
“I’m grateful for age and the wisdom that accompanies years; and I’m truly grateful that as I go about the daily business of ‘living my life,’ I’m in the lucky position of having more than one good option from which to choose—a truly charmed situation in which I find myself.” —Diane (52), housewife
“I am grateful for my sister who works to help people thrive one person at a time.” —My sister
“I am grateful for the family I was born into, for the family I have chosen, and for the family who has chosen me. I am grateful that gay marriage is now recognized Federally. I am grateful that 16 states plus Washington DC recognize gay marriage. 34 states to go. I am grateful for my husband, with whom I will celebrate 22 years in next month.” —Keith (47), married gay Manhattanite
“Batman.” —Hoyt (5)
“I am grateful for the challenges that life has presented to me and I am grateful to the people who have helped me meet those challenges.” —Edward (53), married
“I am grateful that I can get out of bed in the morning. And my joints don’t stay stiff for too long.” —Donny (56)
“I am grateful for my yoga teachers. As a new yoga student, I always left the room after class feeling better about myself than I did when I walked in. Physically AND emotionally. That was huge for me. I was not athletic, not a dancer, and didn’t have a great sense of physical confidence as a kid. With their unconditional love and support, I was physically challenged, encouraged, brilliantly observed and instructed. They will never know how much a whispered, “Beautiful pose, Karen,” helped me to believe in myself. It was the combination of their kindness and their remarkable skill that completely changed the course of my life. How could I not pay this profound gift forward?” —Karen (51), yoga instructor
“My wife almost retired, and I am grateful for friends, family and my freedom to believe!” —Tom
“I am grateful that I am healthy and that I can do the things I enjoy doing.” —Mary, health coach and yoga instructor
“Every day I give thanks for numerous things: The beauty of nature, Jesus dying for me, my husband, children, in laws, grandchildren, that we all have jobs, for our employers, the business that comes to these employers, my family, our marriage encounter group, different groups at our church, my girlfriends.” —Carol (64), married, 3 children, 2 grandchildren
“I am very grateful for the love that surrounds me from my family, my friends, and Donny.” —Deborah (58), mother of two, grandmother of (almost) 3
“I’m very thankful I have a warm bed to climb into at the end of a long day of work.” —Rick (46)
A big “THANK YOU” to all of the contributors. Your input is greatly appreciated. O.k.—now it’s your turn! Keep gratitude flowing by sharing your thoughts below.
