This morning I wondered how to do gratitude different since it was Thanksgiving. I wanted it to be more outstanding today. I thought about my plan to ask everyone at Russ' family dinner table to share something they're grateful for. That's nice, but I wanted something more.My mind took me to all the things I haven't been grateful for because I just take them for granted. Like being grateful that:
- I've never had to quit smoking
- I've never regretted my divorce
- I've experienced what it feels like to be in the minority
- I've never had to quit smoking
- I've never regretted my divorce
- I've experienced what it feels like to be in the minority
- I get to choose whether to be married or not; a parent or not
- I have blue eyes
- I've never had a boyfriend's parole officer stop by on a holiday
And then my mind took me to the things I used to be grateful for, but have taken for granted the last few years. Like:
- that I get to choose when I wake up
- that I choose my own dress code
- that I decide how and if I want to answer my phone
- that I don't have to commute in traffic
- that I get to spend my day with my dogs
- that I'm debt-free with financial cushions in place
- that someone right now is reading this (thank you!)
And then I thought of things I used to be grateful for when life was different that I probably didn't properly acknowledge back then. Like:
- having co-workers to swap stories with each day
- having an abundance of restaurants within walking distance to choose from
- being able to run errands on the way home from work
- having extensive professional relationships with other colleagues in town (I miss those guys)
I see things Russ experiences that he might not be as grateful for because he takes them for granted. Like:
- having kids he can visit any time he cares to pick up the phone
- having employer sponsored health insurance
- living in a city that offers a variety of entertainment and life enjoyment
- that cats are drawn to him
I wondered if my dogs and cats were grateful for things different than I was. It seems to me they're most grateful for:
- a warm spot to sleep
- a friend to sleep with
- food
- play
- visitors
and rolling on their back. Especially in the sun or in front of the heater.
Then I wondered whether I could find gratitude within for the things that I wouldn't normally be grateful for. Like
- that I can't figure out how to do bullets on this stupid program
- that I won't get to see my nieces and nephews this year
- that I don't have any client sessions today (I did last year, with my UK folks!)
- that my front lawn is hammered from having two young dogs on it
That's where my stretch is. Finding a way to be grateful for ALL of it, not just the nice and easy parts. The good news is I've got all day to get there. Well, all my lifetime, actually.
Whether you're celebrating Thanksgiving or not, my wish for you is that you find your way more easily to Gratitude than ever before. Namaste.
Namaste, Jeanette.
ReplyDeleteYou are a Mountain of Light.
I am grateful for you.
Ah, Rick - it's nice to be the focus of such powerful gratitude! Thanks for flowing the good vibes my way, it's good for us both!
ReplyDeleteThanks for posting, my friend.
super awesome thanks, Jeannette!
ReplyDeleteAgreed, Jeanette. I took my cue from you: Namaste speaks to the Best of who we are: the Divine.
ReplyDeleteA group serves as a multiplier of energy. We may as well ramp up the good stuff. And I am grateful that the Universe made a way to do it.
Happy Thanksgiving.
Hi Jeannette,
ReplyDeleteWhat a wonderful idea... Inspired by you, I’ve found some things to be grateful for that hadn’t thought of.
I’m grateful that people come and collect the rubbish.
I’m grateful the wind blows from the east and I can hear the ocean.
I’m grateful I’ve learned to make choices based on what feels most peaceful.
I’m grateful my neighbours are able to express their rage so immediately, no matter what time of day.
I’m grateful my body is self-healing.
I’m grateful I have so much time to myself.
I’m grateful I am free.
And as Rick said, I am grateful for you—but that I have thought of before!
Namaste Jeanette! You are a shining light.
Love, Kim
Hi Jeannette
ReplyDeleteI am grateful for your quirky funniness and your animal tales :)
I empathise with programming glitches. I only just worked out how to change the font on my blog, after almost a year! lol
By the way, if you are using blogger, you can get bullets by highlighting the text and clicking on the symbol in your editor that is right beside the numbers 1.2.3. list. Does this make sense? Also, check your settings and make sure you are in a WYSIWYG editor.
Hope that helps and I'm not telling you how to suck eggs.
Onwards!
Zoe
Kim, your list makes me smile every time I read it! I especially like the self healing body, the peaceful choice habit, and being able to appreciate the neighbors' ability to express.
ReplyDeleteWhat a wonderful neighbor you are! Even though I'm not hearing your ocean on the wind, you are close to my heart, and that makes you my neighbor. Thanks for posting!
And thanks for the tip, Zoe, maybe it's a wrong setting that doesn't let that bullet feature work for me.
Jeanette,
ReplyDeleteThank you and all the others who have posted for reminding me of so many "take for granted" things to be grateful for.
I'm So-o grateful for words and language - and the way you use them, Jeanette.
I've always been in awe of how each person uses words in a unique way.(I'm a Gemini.)I recently read about 100 reviews of a movie. I didn't intend to - it just kind of evolved after having read a few, when I realized that this was a neat way to see the different ways people use words to describe something. It was fascinating.
Words convey our emotions. They can separate us or give us a feeling of connection with one another. They can inspire us and bring in more light.
I'm grateful that I can find that connection here with others through - WORDS!
Jo
Jo, you gave me goose bumps AND another item on my personal list of things to be grateful for that I used to take for granted: words, communication and connection!
ReplyDeleteAmen, sister!
PS - 100 movie reviews?! lol You're making me smile, Gemini!
Jo’s just given me a fun idea! Things to be grateful for—and Astrological Guide!
ReplyDeleteIt would be so cool...when you’re searching for a way to pivot around a bad feeling, open up to your star sign and let the gratitude flow! Little things that sun signs might be grateful for ...(this list could expand into a tome, of course!)
Aries – physicality!
Taurus – yummy food
Gemini – good talks! (Thanks Jo!)
Cancer –sleeping!
Leo – play!
Virgo – puzzles!
Libra –parties!
Scorpio –Intimacy
Sagittarius—new horizons
Capricorn – big tasks
Aquarius –big ideas
Pisces –everything and everyone!
Of course, we all have all 12 signs of the Zodiac in our charts...it’s just that some are more emphasised that others.
: ) Kim
Kim,
ReplyDeleteYou honed right in on words to describe individual Sun sign gratitudes.
It could also be an LOA technique, to DO our Sun sign thing when we're in a funk, but we might want different outlets for Taurus, as it could get weighty and Cancer would miss the whole trip!
What would you include as the highest vibration/expression for each Sun sign to aim for?
Wow!Are we tuning in to the Full Moon in Gemini and Uranus station?
Jo
Hey Jo,
ReplyDeleteThis is so interesting because the astrological model says to be really happy, to feel really authentic and distinct, we need to ‘do’ our sun signs...to feel at ease with our inner world, we need to do our Moon, to feel connected we need to do our Mercury etc etc...just because one is a Gemini (like me and you!) doesn’t mean we automatically know how to open to the Gemini vibe. We might, at first, not have a clue (because it was perhaps discouraged early on...)
Your idea of the highest vibe for each sign is fabulous....there is more to Taurus than enjoying the sensuality of cuisine and more to Cancer than dream land of course! I have some ideas (as does Jeanette) about using Astrology to leverage the LOA and the perfect place to start is with the Sun sign vibe—as you say, turning to that authentic higher vibration when in a funk can really turn things around...it probably doesn’t even have to be that high a vibe either....for example an Aries Sun feels good taking action...it’s a Mars ruled thing and Mars is a warrior. They might also feel good if they got a bit mad, a bit worked up...like breaking a log jam, everything starts to flow again. It may not be the highest vibe to ‘lose one’s temper’ but for some it’s a good place to start.
What to aim for? What feels good! Each sign has their motif, their ‘archetype of authentic feel goods’ and because it’s symbolic, the possibilities are endless. It would be great to have a little manual to turn to when we need ideas or want inspiration.
I’m going to give these notions more thought.
Thanks for your comments and insights and yes, moon in Gemini and Uranus is moving forward again!
: ) Kim
Kim and Jeanette,
ReplyDeleteI've been searching for a while to find people who do LOA and combine it with astrology. It seems like a natural fit. I also do EFT(Emotional Freedom Techniques) I want to incorporate all three.
Manual is terrific idea. Let me know if I can contribute in any way -you know how Geminis love to brainstorm ideas.This is off topic from this blog, so is there a way to share in another space?
Also, can I put my name at the top without doing a Google account.
Jo
I'm totally overwhelmed by the number of responses I have to this article, and simply haven't the time right now to go into it all, or even organize it into something coherent (it's a big web of interrelated observations that work in my head but are hard to put down linearly), so I'll leave it at these 2 things for now:
ReplyDelete1. Your list of daily gratefulness is *exactly* the list (or exactly some of the items on that list) of things I want to become real in my life.
2. I cannot tell you how grateful I am for you, or for my friend who pointed you out to me.
Oh, 3: I LOVE the last edition of the e-zine!
ReplyDeleteKim and Jo, this cool thing happened to me while reading your posts ...
ReplyDeleteI used to be good friends with an IT guy who would regularly tell me what he was working on that day. And each time he would start talking his technical lingo, I felt hypnotized by it. It was like when I went to Carol the Astrologer when I was 16 (my aunt Susan sent me for my birthday), and I saw Carol writing down all these strange symbols that clearly meant something to her, but nothing to me - she was translating them into how I was feeling and what was happening, and was SO on target. I really wanted in on that world. I wanted to understand what she knew that I didn't.
I'm feeling it again reading these posts - that there is much for me and for others to learn here.
How cool would it be to participate in that!! Count me in as a co-author on THIS book!! woo hoo!!
John, I am ALSO grateful to your friend who introduced us. :)
ReplyDeleteGlad you liked the prayer ezine issue. It spoke to many - I've probably never received more emails from any other issue.
And now, FOR REAL, I'm starting another post from what I learned from Gregg.
Thanks for all the comments, everyone! What a fun discussion we have going here!!
PS - I wanted to say thanks to everyone for being so good to me.
ReplyDeleteFirst of all that you care enough to write! Do you have any idea how important that is to a blogger?! It's HUGE!! We quickly lose steam if it seems no one's reading or benefiting from what goes on these pages.
And then the QUALITY of your comments! WOW! Some of these things you say make me wonder if other people might think I pay for them .. you folks are SO generous to me!
What a pleasure to be in touch with you all. Thank you so much for being part of my world! I love you! :)