I’m posting this “Mindful Monday” post on Sunday afternoon, so that I can link up with some other amazing bloggers for Ten Things of Thankful. Many of you have shared with me that you enjoy these weekly posts about my moments of gratitude, so I hope you will take some time to think about what you are thankful for, and then read the other celebrations of gratitude lighting up the Internet! Hopefully it’s a great way to reflect and transition from the end of the weekend into a Mindful Monday.
Breathe: Words for a Mindful Moment
It takes a village.
“Giving — to others, to the world, to oneself — is deep in our nature as human beings…. [W]e swim in a sea of generosity — of many daily acts of consideration, reciprocity, benevolence, compassion, kindness, helpfulness, warmth, appreciation, respect, patience, forbearance, and contribution — but like those proverbial fish, [we] don’t often realize we’re wet. Because of the brain’s negativity bias, moments of not-giving — one’s own resentments and selfishness, and the withholding and unkindness of others — pop out with blazing headlines…. When you express your giving nature, it feels good for you, benefits others, prompts them to be good to you in return, and adds one more lovely thread to the great tapestry of human generosity.”
From Rick Hanson, Ph.D., Just One Thing: Developing a Buddha Brain One Simple Practice at a Time
Smile: Moments of Gratitude
I love that passage above from Rick Hanson. It is precisely why we need a gratitude practice. Gratitude helps us see the good, the compassion, and the kindness that supports us, and reminds us that we truly need a generous village to thrive. We need to NOT be those fish unaware of the world which sustains them. Today, I am thankful for my many support networks!
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I am thankful for supportive and generous neighbors. My neighbor friend texted me on Friday, asking if I wanted to send the kids to dinner and a movie at her house so that I could enjoy a few moments to myself at the end of a hectic week {and since my husband would be away coaching football.} The following night, when her husband was at work, we hosted her and her children for dinner at our house. I’ve often remarked how strange it is that our children will play outside with neighborhood friends, and then each mother separately calls in her own children, to their own house, to the kitchen in which {usually} the mother has cooked a meal on her own. While I’m all for connecting with my family at dinner, I also think it is so helpful and generous when mothers can share some of the workload and neighbors can share mealtimes together.
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I am thankful for my supportive colleagues. I am excited to be team-teaching with my fellow European History teachers this Monday, so that we can share our unique perspectives and talents with our students. I am grateful for colleagues who help me solve my technology crises, like earlier this week when I rushed into my friend’s classroom, convinced that my SmartBoard system wasn’t working with my new Mac, because the sound was not projecting from my computer. We checked all the input cables, the volume controls on my computer, the SmartBoard connections, and then my colleague kindly pointed out that I had not pressed the “Power” button on the speaker. Oops. I am also thankful he did not share this story with my co-workers. 🙂
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I am, again, so grateful for my online “tribe,” my fellow bloggers who support and encourage me. I am so thankful for those of you who share such kind and supportive comments. I am flattered that so many of you {okay, like 5 of you, but it still felt good} convinced me to enter Blogger Idol 2013. I’m not really sure what I’m getting into, but I’ve auditioned. Wish me luck!
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I am thankful for my children playing together, without fighting, for a solid 47 minutes this morning! They were playing school {their go-to game every day this week}, and today they played lunchroom. I overheard my daughter tell her brother, “Okay, how about you are the new kid, so I will be the one to help you and show you around and make sure you know how to do everything.” I love that in their imaginative play, they are practicing kindness and compassion.
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I am thankful for the kind comments and feedback from parents last Monday night at Open House. After my presentation to one set of parents, a mother came up to me and said, “I love your passion. You are not boring.” While it’s good to know I’m not boring, I’m grateful to know that even in just a twenty-minute curriculum presentation, my passion for history and for teaching shines. I know teachers often complain about parents, but I am thankful to work with so many supportive parents.
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I am grateful for my dancing community. This fall, since I apparently don’t have enough going on in my life, I have joined TWO dance groups! I’m meeting new dancers, learning from new teachers, AND, in my new group, I get to dress up like a Rockette and perform in holiday shows in the community! I appreciate my teachers taking the time to teach this newbie the dances everyone in the group already knows. Especially tap. Where I kind of resemble a confused fish out of water.
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I am so thankful for my village! What are YOU thankful for this week?
Please check out my partners in gratitude this week! Click on the image below:
Fish photo credit: dachalan via photopin cc
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