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I love the Thanksgiving story about the Pilgrims and the Native Americans coming together to share a feast after a tough year. It’s incredible to me that they could feel grateful after all they had been through.
Their story is the inspiration for this blog about gratitude.
When we were part of a hunter-gatherer group “a zillion years ago,” our brains were programmed to expect the worst from predators—whether humans or animals. That’s why it is only natural that we are always looking out for the bad. Unfortunately, unless we are aware of this inherent view of life, we miss out on recognizing good opportunities. (This trait is intensified if you grew up in an abusive home because you were always on the alert to try and protect yourself.)
An attitude of gratitude can at least temporarily dissipate this melee.
Here are a few tips:
- Pause when agitated. This simple conscious reaction will often stop the negativity.
- Breathe deeply. Concentrate on the exhalation. This is a trick I learned in yoga. Try to make the exhalation twice as long as the inhalation
- Seek something good to see in your environment. I love seeing my dog and cat. Believe it or not, I like to admire my microwave oven. It reminds me how much I love to zap a cup of coffee, a relatively new luxury in my kitchen. I didn’t have one when I started “housekeeping” in 1967.
- Look around you. Unless there is something horrific going on—beyond the pale—realize you are “alright right now.”
- Use this question my late, great friend, Anna Marie, used to ask me: “Is the world burning and crumbling?”
- Relish good memories and recall them when life is tough. Please remember all the details. Some of my recollection records include: Numerous beaches that this Colorado girl has been fortunate enough to enjoy. I relish tides and colors of the water and why I was there; the many places I’ve traveled too—not bad for a gal who took her first plane ride at age 19; Times in my life that I have received accolades; and pleasant times when I was younger, like trick or treating with my little kids, dressed up like Little Orphan Annie with her dog “Sandy” on a leash.
Finally, I like to remember, “This Too Shall Pass.”
