If you missed it, Saturday was World Gratitude Day. So this week, our Mindful Monday is a bit of a meta-meditation on gratitude. Be thankful for the benefits a gratitude practice can bring to your life!
Breathe: Words for a Mindful Moment
“The medieval Christian mystic Meister Eckhart suggests that if the only prayer we say in our lifetime is “thank you,” that would suffice…. Gratitude paid to all around us becomes a spiritual exercise. Show your gratitude to the music that enchants, to the winter boots that stand up to the wear and tear of the elements, to the movie that brings tears to your eyes…. Feast on the moments that stand out in your mind as precious enough to replay again and again.”
From Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat, Spiritual Literacy: Reading the Sacred in Everyday Life
Smile: Moments of Gratitude
These weekly posts are always titled “Mindfulness and Gratitude.” I firmly believe the two go hand in hand. To practice gratitude, we must practice mindfulness. When we are truly present in the moment, we see the beauty all around us. And the more joy we cultivate, the more we can practice our purposeful awareness and acceptance of the present moment. Mindfulness begets gratitude, gratitude begets mindfulness.
My Moments of Gratitude
On Saturday, we made our annual visit to the apple orchard with my parents, and my sister and her family. The day was full of beautiful and joyful moments to replay over and over again…
My daughter loves picking apples, and helping her little brother and cousin find apples to pick:
My son loves riding on the wagon, pulled by a tractor, to get to the apple trees. I love this picture of him holding on to my hand and my mother’s hand, so he wouldn’t fall off the cart:
And really, is the world ever more beautiful than in the fall? Changing colors, gorgeous apple trees, grapes on the vine…
I am absolutely swooning over this tender sibling moment. I am so grateful for the love my children have for each other, even if this instance below is not always how they display it:
I am so thankful for time with my extended family, for my sister packing the picnic lunch for us to share, for the gorgeous Minnesota fall weather that we enjoyed, and smiles and laughter with my children.
Indulge your Left Brain with some Gratitude Research!
As a left-brain Buddha, I am all about research, data, and facts. In {belated} honor of World Gratitude Day, I am sharing with you some fascinating studies that reveal the benefits of a gratitude practice. I’m thankful for gratitude researchers!
- A 2003 study assigned one group of people to keep gratitude journals, another group to record their daily hassles, and a third group to record neutral daily events. Those in the gratitude group, at the end of the two-month study, exercised more, were more optimistic, felt better about their lives, and were more likely to have made progress toward important life goals than people in the other experimental conditions.
- Researchers have found that gratitude makes people more likely to help a stranger, even if it comes at a cost to themselves. The study found that gratitude, not just a positive feeling, led to kind actions.
- A review of several studies of gratitude found that appreciation and gratitude strengthen intimate relationships. People who were appreciative of their partners were more responsive to their needs, felt appreciated by their partners, were likely to remain in their relationships longer, and were more committed.
- Gratitude can help you sleep! A 2009 study showed that people who practiced gratitude got more sleep, and had better sleep quality.
- Chris Peterson, psychology professor at the University of Michigan, identified seven character strengths that, “according to his research, [were] especially likely to predict life satisfaction and high achievement.” They are grit, self-control, zest, social intelligence, gratitude, optimism, and curiosity. {As quoted in How Children Succeed by Paul Tough.}
Finally, you can check out lots of other weekly gratitude lists today by visiting the Ten Things of Thankful posts below!
- A Mindful Approach to New Year’s Resolutions - January 13, 2020
- Just This Next Step - December 16, 2019
- WAIT: A Mindfulness Practice for Waiting in Line - December 9, 2019
