Welcome back!
Great work! You are here for Day 2 of the 7–Day Write Where You Are Challenge.
Day 2: Gratitude — The Gifts of Each Day
Acquiring the skill to have appreciation and be grateful for everything that enters your life is in itself the reward. It is the number one catalyst for the Universal Law of Abundance to become activated into your life.
When thinking about gratitude, I find it helpful to remember that your life is no accident and that both the trials and the triumphs are here as gifts to be unpacked.
Cultivating an attitude of gratitude simply makes us happy. As you become conscious of all the little things that make up your days for which you can be grateful, you will notice your heart expanding and joy simply takes over.
Have you ever walked down the street on a day you felt particularly sad or lonely and a stranger smiled at you and in an instant your heart opened? Even such a seemingly small gesture can give deep meaning to your day.
Gratitude is a mindset. It’s a way of showing up in the world breathing in the beauty that is around us even in times of pain and sorrow. A precious pet may die but we can still notice the exquisite sunset or the dew on the morning grass. When we embrace such a mindset, we begin to look for what is pleasant, lovely, and beautiful — and we find it. We stop “waiting for the axe to fall.”
It’s an attitude that no matter what is going on in your life, you are able to recognize the good — that which is working — the events and moments that warm you, bring you joy, help you see and acknowledge those things that lift your spirits. They are everywhere if you simply let yourself be open to them.
And when situations arise that are potentially painful, you can remember that pain is inevitable, suffering is a choice. Pain is inevitable because we live in a temporal world and sorrow comes to all of us with each loss — be it a person, a job, a home, our youth. Yet, holding a consciousness that there is a gift in every situation, we can invite that in and notice what we learn.
Melody Beatty put it this way:
“Gratitude unlocks the fullness in life. It turns what we have into enough, and more. It turns denial into acceptance, chaos to order, confusion to clarity. It can turn a meal into a feast, a house into a home, a stranger into a friend. Gratitude makes sense of our past, brings peace for today and creates a vision for tomorrow.”
Have you purchased a gratitude journal yet? If not, it’s never too late for something this wonderful. Find a notebook that you use just for things you wish to say thank you for in your day. It can be fun to collage the front of it with pictures that inspire peace, love, and joy. It could be a picture of your pet or grandchild, a sunset or a monkey making funny faces or just colours that make you happy.
Now, let’s meditate.
In preparation for this guided meditation, as with yesterday and every day going forward, please have your journal or notebook, pen, and a glass of water and beside you, ready to hydrate and write when the meditation is over.
Make sure you will be undisturbed for the next 30 minutes even though you may need less than that. Best to be sitting up in a chair, feet placed firmly on the floor, spine straight as you begin to become aware of your breath.
Here is today’s meditation:
Action step: Take a drink of water, set your timer for 10 minutes, and Write Where You Are. “Sometimes I take essential things for granted. Today I choose to be grateful for…”
Action step: After writing, please come over to the Challenge Facebook group and share your insights from today, and I’ll see you back in your inbox tomorrow!
All blessings,
Junie
PS — If you have any questions, please tag me in the Facebook group.