Habitual Gratitude

Today I am grateful for the fellow recovering alcoholics and addicts who enrich my daily journey. I appreciate the soothing sound of a clock ticking and my ears that are able to hear it.  I gave myself a couple of opportunities yesterday to practice the pace of presence. After some overnight tossing and turning, I got up earlier than usual so I could do some meditation in the hopes that I would fall back to sleep for at least a little longer. It worked and I woke up more refreshed than my sleep hours would indicate.  I also woke up with a slower mind and went into the next part of my morning routine, some strength and core exercises, with my brain not flying from one thought to another and tension not building. The pace of presence is a kinder, gentler pace for me, for all of us.  We live in a world that seems to run counter to this idea though. It is causing significant harm to our overall health, and we often don't even pause to consider it. The children and young peopl...

A late November rainbow is a random and fairly rare event. I captured the photo above, and the two below, yesterday afternoon as I stepped out of PIVO Brewery and Blepta Studios in Calmar, Iowa. It was November 27, 2021 at 12:37 p.m. CST. That's my shadow in the bottom center of the photo.   I wasn't expecting a rainbow. There were just a few sprinkles, and as you can see, there was plenty of blue sky too. I took it in and felt it worthy of some photos. I sometimes get caught up in the photos and miss the experience. I tried to capture both yesterday. Others stepped out and exclaimed their surprise as well.  Within minutes, the rainbow was gone. A little while later, I hit the road to head home again. It has been a gratifying and full week of time spent with loved ones and plenty of road miles. Sometimes it all feels so fleeting, like this rainbow.  Today I carry this thought with me: Life is precious and fragile. Let's treat it, ourselves, and others, with gentle co...

Today I am grateful for safe road intersections, thanks to traffic signs and lights.  I also appreciate on so many levels the lives that have intersected with mine over the course of my life so far. For a reason, a season, or a lifetime, they each matter in the story of my life.  I was thinking about intersections as I took this picture yesterday morning. It is in downtown Hastings, after I had participated in the annual Gobble Gait 8K that was able to be held in person again this year.  These snowplows protected us from the potential of the horror and tragedy that played out in Waukesha, Wisconsin on Sunday. I appreciated that precautions were being taken, and was also deeply saddened that these are the times in which we find ourselves and our communities. My heart goes out to all the victims, families, witnesses, emergency personnel, and others involved.  This intersection was safely blocked, but the runners and walkers who came together, in an intersection of holi...

I n daily life we must see that it is gratefulness that makes us happy,  not happiness that makes us grateful.  Brother David Steindl-Rast  This quote is in the header for this blog, and captures well what I believe to be true. I came across it years ago and have let it guide me ever since. Happiness, once an elusive pursuit, is now more a byproduct of the grateful living practices to which I am committed.  This blog is now over 9 1/2 years strong. I am a more contented writer because I regularly give time to my heart and soul's passion, rather than waiting until everything else is done first. (That never happens!)  And this mug is one I often use for my morning coffee. It reminds me of my sisters because several of us were together when I bought it out in Colorado, including my sister Mary Jo. She died in 2019. When healthy, she would have been up early today preparing a feast to share with others.  I pause and notice the abundance I am surrounded by more ...

There’s a self expansive aspect of gratitude. Very possibly it’s a little known law of nature:  the more gratitude you have, the more you have to be grateful for.    Elaine St. James Laws of nature like gravity and electromagnetism are all around us. From keeping Earth in orbit around the sun or bringing a softball off the bat to some spot in the outfield, to helping tape stick to a package or a magnet to stick to the refrigerator; we experience these irrefutable laws in our daily lives. They are powers greater than human, though humans have learned how to utilize them to our advantage.  Elaine St. James is an author and lecturer well-known for her writings and talks about living a simpler life. Too much stuff, demands on our time, and distractions from our priorities leave many people unhappy and anxious, at least to some degree.  Simplify your life. Amen to that! I start with simplifying my overactive and counterproductive thoughts. It is a daily effort for me...

Peace is not merely a distant goal that we seek, but a means by which we arrive at that goal. Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.  I am grateful today for safe travels and time with my friend Sheila and her family yesterday for her father's funeral. Rest in peace Earl. I am deeply grateful for the lasting and deep friendship that Sheila and I share, and for the peace that I know in my life and the new ways I am learning to tap into it. The above quote is telling me it takes peace to find peace. Initially that sounds counterintuitive, but then again I can't fully share something with others until I understand and possess it myself. Seeking personal peace --through meditation, recovery, therapy, forgiveness, healing, writing, running--has helped and continues to help me know more calm and clarity.  With a healthier sense of self, I spend less time spun up in my head and in self-centered pursuits. That allows me more time and energy to bring to the people and circumstances in each d...

Today I am grateful for the smooth, smoother than usual, cup of coffee I am enjoying right now. Is the coffee better today, or am I just paying more attention to my senses in the present moment?  It doesn't matter. I am just savoring it. That moment is gone. The next has arrived, and the next. If we look at life this way, life is a series of losses. Maybe if we looked at loss differently we could see how inextricably it is woven into every aspect of life, and maybe we could embrace it in new ways.  I am not saying that we should go looking for loss, rather that it finds us at every turn. It can't be avoided. Neither can the gift of the next moment. Until we draw our final breath anyway. The person I was five minutes ago, five years ago, five decades ago is gone. But there's a new me in this particular moment and that is pretty amazing. Life is about loss. Big ones. Small ones. Noticed and unnoticed ones. Loss is on my mind the last few days for several reasons. My dear frie...

Living gratefully today, I pause and notice the varied colors of the lights on our Christmas tree and the calming soft glow that is coming from them.  Paying attention while driving is always a good idea. It brought that beautiful sunrise in my rearview mirror the other day.  The next day it was this message on the back of a dump truck in front of me: "Do Not Push." This is certainly wise with a fully loaded truck of rocks, sand, or other materials.  I also thought about how it applies to our interactions with self and others in many ways. Maybe in a conversation I am having with a student or a parent. More listening, less talking. Help them draw out their own understanding or solutions. Or a fellow recovering person. What works for me may not work for them. Suggestions only.  "Do Not Push" is also a message Lisa needs to hear for Lisa's sake each day. It is good for each of us to know our limits, examine our motives, keep healthy boundaries, and take care of o...

Today I am grateful for opportunities to problem-solve, seek insight, meditate, listen. These are pursuits that can be binding or liberating. Letting go of outcomes is a key to freedom. And paying attention is key to daily living. It’s not just for students sitting in a classroom. It is for all of us as students in the much larger classroom of life.  Pay attention when driving, making coffee, turning a light on, taking a bite of food.  Pay attention when listening to others, watching facial expressions, hearing tone of voice.  Pay attention when outdoors. Sensory overload from natural sources beats sensory overload from manufactured sources.  Pay attention to breathing, to thoughts coming and going, to peace that can come in a simple pause. As I drove yesterday morning, paying attention to the road, fellow drivers, lane changes, I noticed the sunrise in the rearview mirror. I captured this picture when I had a safe moment. The rearview mirror bringing me the sun that...

Living gratefully today, I appreciate safe travels and time with extended family over the weekend. I give thanks for the marriage of my nephew Carson and his wife Megan. It was their wedding reception, one year after they got married, that brought family and friends together. Happy Anniversary you two! As we traveled on Friday afternoon, we came across these 2 benches in downtown Lanesboro, Minnesota. (If you are ever in the area I recommend a stop and a stay.)  They are the handiwork of the local Girl Scouts.  The benches caught my eye on the quiet streets, but it was the messages on each that really beckoned to me. It is so very easy to find discouraging news, devastation, conflict, vitriol in our ramped up and edgy communities, nation, and world.  It is just as easy to find the encouraging and hopeful signs of resilient and caring people who make a difference in big and small ways every day. We are each these people. These kind-hearted, tolerant, and loving souls we ca...

Living gratefully today, I appreciate unexpected family time  and the anticipation of seeing extended family.  Yesterday morning I was filling a water bottle from the pitcher we keep in the fridge. There was just enough water left in the pitcher to fill the bottle right to the top.  In perfect measure.  I carried that thought with me throughout the day. Not perfect, rather getting what we need in perfect measure to live our imperfect, sometimes messy, but still beautiful and bountiful days.  Perfect measure of roadway, shared with other vehicles, got me safely to work. Perfect measures of air to breathe, gravity to offer stability.  Perfect measures of surrender and acceptance to balance out the push and pull of expectations and responsibilities.  Not perfect in that it went just the way I wanted, rather that it went just the way life was meant to go in that moment. 

Today I am grateful for the tables I have sat at and do sit at that bring good memories and intentions to my days. I also appreciate the "table of life" that is before us each day; a buffet of experiences, awarenesses, and connections. Here's a practice I do from time to time: 3 x 3 > 9 Today I am grateful for:  1. The table in our dining room.        a. the many meals we have shared there as a family        b. comfortable, straight-backed chairs to sit at while I work or write       c. the dark granite, shine, and easy-to-clean surface 2. Meeting tables we use at work.      a. the laughter and smiles that often accompany even the tedious tasks and agenda items       b. the colleagues I meet with and their insights, experience, and curiosity      c. chairs on wheels at some of these tables, adding a little movement and fun 3. The table my family ate at when we were growing up...

Living gratefully today, I give thanks for ears that hear and feet that take me places I want to go. On my commute yesterday morning, I was running a little late. I hit several yellow lights at the stoplights I encounter on my usual route on my way to work. Instead of racing through the yellows, I slowed and took a moment to relax during the red light.  I had thoughts like these: I really am not running that late and it’s really not that important that I get to work two minutes earlier. My vehicle slowing and my mind slowing complemented one another. Regular meditation practice has been bringing me a healthier mind, a right-sized ego.  Yellow is for caution. Slow down. Red is for stop, take a breath. Green is for proceeding at a more sane pace.  After work yesterday, I came home and went for a bike ride before it got dark, which of course is earlier now with the time change. The weather was still fairly mild and I like to take advantage of such opportunities when I can....

Today I am grateful for our son Sam and the meals and conversations we have shared this weekend. I also greatly appreciate the beautiful weather we have been having.  I am about to go on a rant. You have been forewarned. Though I can still find good in each day, the not-so-good is more in our faces than ever before. Please, stop and notice it. Nobody said any of us had to get on the crazy merry-go-round of materialism, constant comparison, and shallowness. Shallow?  How about hollow? Okay, you will definitely pick up on some judgment and self-righteousness, but there is also legitimate fear and real discouragement. It started when I walked into the local branch of a large national chain store yesterday and heard "All I want for Christmas is you..." coming through the sound system.  It's a little early isn't it? This isn't about holiday cheer and festivities starting early to pull us out of the funk of COVID, divisive politics, and a climate crisis. Folks, they don...

Precarious or Perseverant? balancing act  day in and day out  teetering on the brink of collapse? or surrendering self  trusting Nature  going about the rich tasks and joys of life? 11/5/21 LV The picture inspired the poem. My life experience influences the composing and the deeper meaning.   My friend and colleague Judy and I were taking a walk near our school yesterday afternoon to break up a longer work day. It was a pleasant afternoon and we appreciated the fresh air and conversation. This tree limb hanging from utility wires caught my eye. It looks rather unstable hanging there, but is it? Does it care or is it just enjoying the opportunity? It let Nature take it where it would.  On the days I feel unstable, I have usually contributed to my state of mind and heart. Do I care too much about too many things when I get to this point?  Probably. Only when I surrender can I feel free, even if I am still fragile. Life is precious and fragile and so...

Living gratefully today, I appreciate the human brain and the incredible things it does each moment of our lives.  On a run late yesterday afternoon, I was applying mindful attention to the act of running. I have run thousands of miles on automatic pilot. Tuning into my natural surroundings. Absorbed in thoughts I was trying to work through. Adding up the miles and checking pace for training runs.  I am always grateful for the physical ability to run, but it hasn't been that often when I have considered how amazing it is that I can run, that my arms and legs don't need to actually be told what to do once we get started on our runs together, unless I am telling myself to slow down or speed up. I don't need to tell my arms to pump and my legs to stride. I just start running. How tedious it would be if every stride had to be directed.  I don't need to tell my ears to hear or my nose to smell, they just do.  It got me thinking about many other things I don't need to do ...

  “You can’t love God and hate your neighbor.”  My husband Darcy gave the sermon at church on Sunday. He included the words above from presiding bishop Michael Curry of the Episcopal Church. They are words we could all take to heart. I don't know about you, but I have room for improvement. Our communities, states, countries and world need more love, less hate.  Louder love. Quieter hate. It would be a good start anyway.  Some of the other terms besides God that I use to refer to Higher Power are: Universe, Friend, Great Spirit, and thanks to Glennon Doyle's book Untamed  I have now added Knowing. It is helpful to me to use these all-encompassing terms because it helps me better connect to my own faith.  These titles emanate compassion and openness. A Higher Power that brings comfort, hope, focused energy are what I know I need. What about you?  “May I see God everywhere and in everyone.” These are words from a meditation prayer my sister shared with me...