If you have followed any of my writings, you know I journal and consider stillness and listening to heart whispers mandatory to living your best life.
Few of us have not lived the last few years without hearing talk and/or reading about gratitude, and I’m pretty sure that all agree that it’s an extremely healthy practice, and without it, there is huge opportunity and space for depression, sadness, victim mentality, anger, and addiction, to overtake a heart.
I’m the first one to agree that gratitude seems illusive when we are in the midst of loss, trauma, pain, and all the difficulties that if you’re breathing, is simply a part life’s journey.
However, I was pondering this familiar practice to keep my heart and soul in this healthy place and realized that even though I knew that sometimes it’s harder than others, that it was feeling mundane.
It’s normal for anything we do every day, no matter how beneficial, to become something mundane, something we do without thinking. I’m truly grateful for many things in my life, but I instinctively knew that they tend to always be the same things. Apart from the little answers to prayer, serendipities, kindnesses or those little miracles or out-of-the-blue blessings, they were always the same.
Then I realized that those “little” things (and they usually are) were my little moments of happiness in my day. Hmmm, how many things today brought me even the tiniest moment of happiness? Even something that just made me smile.
On this particular day, I had extra time to read the book I was enjoying. For me, reading makes me happy. And yes, I was very grateful, but the knowing that those moments made me happy really broadened the spectrum through which I was seeing my day and the changing carousel life had me on in such a way that really heightened my trust and hope levels. I felt so much lighter and more expansive!
I had to laugh on one day, when I realized that my decision to indulge in a very rare ice cream cone was my moment of happiness. I enjoyed every moment as sadness over painful circumstances melted away. Note: this was not turning to food to numb. Numbing is not a happy moment.
So, I wonder if you too, as faithful to a gratitude mindset as you might be, have also at times found it a little mundane.
In truth, our minds are wired to navigate to moments of happiness and joy. No matter how negative a mindset might be, our hearts were created to crave and lead us back to joy, so that we don’t search for it in places where it is not. For me, that makes this process powerful.
Often though, we don’t allow ourselves to dwell on that happy moment, and just smile in gratitude for the powerful moment and breathe it in, and write it down. When I read my daily happy moments, I can’t help but smile.
For me, it’s only been a few weeks, but It’s made such a difference in my perspective, expectations and hope for my future. There has not been one day that I didn’t experience one thing that brought the tiniest moment of happiness. I’m not so naive as to think there won’t be that day, however, I am confident that it is much like a parent whose heart explodes to see a smile on their baby’s face. It fills a heart with knowing that life gifts us with what our soul is created to experience – happy moments and the things I love.
I would love to hear a happy moment from your day!!! Please comment or email me at RuthieLewis@cox.net
Grateful to notice the happy moments,
Ruthie
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Gratitude makes a world of difference, Ruthie, especially when one is having an upside down day. My first experience with gratitude was back in boarding school where we said Grace before our meal (our Founding Principal was of Catholic faith and even children of different faiths embraced Grace from the heart).
It must have been that positive early conditioning of gratitude that has stayed with me and yes, even when things go wrong I find a silver lining. For example, my vehicle recently heated up on a rainy day and while my mechanic was not available, he sent help to fix the car so I could get home and bring it in the next day for a checkup.
I could have grumbled about why this had happened. Instead, I couldn’t stop being grateful that my mechanic had arranged help, the rain had stopped long enough for the quick fix to be done and I got home safely.
Yes, you’re so right, Vatsala! The things that make me overflow with gratitude are the times when someone steps in and basically saves my life. I call them angels! Unfortunately, our culture is not doing a very good job teaching gratitude to our children or even to have a positive view of themselves or circumstances. Thank you so much for commenting!!!! xoxoxox
I have been journaling and practicing gratitude as well, and I like your perspective on the happy moments. It is bringing awareness to the little things, which is very powerful. Thank you!
You’re so welcome, Kris! Yes, it not only brings gratitude, but makes us aware of what we really love which really makes self care easy. I talk a lot about self-care, but over the years have found that people make it so difficult to actually find time for. When we know what makes us happy, it’s a snap. I’m sorry my response was delayed, but as you can see I haven’t posted for a couple weeks due to a sudden health issue. Perfectly fine now and am actually writing about today. Thanks for posting!!!! xoxoxo