Sharing Ideas, Cultivating Gratitude

Today I am grateful for the rain overnight and a free watering for our grass and flowers. I am also grateful for the people on my prayer list. They help me get out of myself.

The nice thing about people who believe in and practice gratitude is that they like to share their ideas with others and get more people hooked on it. That's one of the reasons I started this blog. I am thoroughly convinced that gratitude works to expand personal and community wellness. That community may be your family, your workplace, your local gym, your church, or any number of places where people gather. That's another cool thing about gratitude. . . it tends to be a unifier. It brings people together.

I mentioned Robert Emmons' book in my post yesterday; Thanks! How the New Science of Gratitude Can Make You Happier. In Emmons' own words "The benefits of gratitude come from the long-term cultivation of the disposition of gratefulness through dedicated practice."

Yes, it takes effort. Daily.

One of many suggestions from Thanks! is to learn prayers of gratitude. Here is one from Buddhist teacher Thich Nhat Hanh:

"Waking up this morning, I see the blue sky.
I join my hands in thanks
for the many wonders of life;
for having twenty-four brand-new hours before me."

What wonderful words to start the day!  Have a good one!

Comments