Happy Thanksgiving!
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Tag Archives: Gratitude
In Gratitude
With an immense amount of love and gratitude, I share that this is my final post on Tuesdays with Laurie.
When I started blogging over a decade ago, I had no idea the journey I was about to begin. I’m grateful for the online community that I’ve met, and am fortunate to call friends.
The fact of the matter is, I’m pulled in a different direction and must bring the Tuesdays with Laurie chapter to a close. The decision to step away is difficult but necessary.
To stay connected, please subscribe to my quarterly newsletter at lauriebuchanan.com. That’s how you’ll receive updates on book releases, speaking engagements, promotions, and giveaways.
Thank you from the bottom of my heart for the years of your support and connection here. It’s meant the world to me.
With thanksgiving and appreciation,
Laurie
Thanks a Million!
The view “odometer” on Tuesdays With Laurie just rolled over one MILLION views.
Thank you so much for your support in helping me to reach this milestone.
I appreciate YOU!
What’s the most recent milestone that you celebrated?
All Things Great and Small
In the United States, we celebrate Thanksgiving this coming Thursday, Nov 22nd. But we don’t have to wait for a special occasion to express gratitude.
And though we live over a thousand miles apart, my sister and I share a practice. Each day before we rise we express thanks for all things—great and small—in our lives.
“There is no foot too small that it cannot leave an imprint on this world.” —Unknown
I’m grateful for family, especially the newest little bud on our family tree.
What are you grateful for?
New Ways of Knowing
HAPPY HOLIDAYS TO YOU AND YOURS!
My wish for you is PEACE of mind, JOY of heart, HEALTH of body, GRATITUDE for blessings, KINDNESS both given and received, INSPIRATION that fuels CREATIVITY, and GRACE—the immediate presence of Spirit.
I auto-scheduled this holiday greeting to publish today because I’m currently at the New Ways of Knowing: Meditation and Writing Retreat in California.
I’ve turned off comments as I won’t be able to respond, and look forward to being back online next Tuesday.
© TuesdaysWithLaurie.com
Gratitude – It Does a Body Good
I’m incredibly grateful. Not only the part of the globe we live on—the Pacific Northwest in the United States—but for our specific town, Boise, Idaho. It’s quite possibly one of the friendliest places on earth.
The words “gratitude” and “grace” share a common origin: the Latin word gratus, meaning “pleasing” or “thankful.” The Association for Humanistic Psychology defines gratitude as “Orientation towards noticing and appreciating the positive in the world.”
University of California Davis psychology professor Robert Emmons’ research revealed that grateful people tend to be more optimistic, a characteristic that literally boosts the immune system—a clear PHYSICAL benefit.
Dr. Alex Wood, a postgraduate researcher in the Department of Psychology, University of Warwick, said that “Gratitude is an integral part of well-being”—a distinct benefit to our MENTAL and EMOTIONAL faculties.
Gratitude helps to open the heart, the seat of compassion. It helps us to see the good in our experience. It enhances trust and helps us to forgive—a benefit to our SPIRITUAL aspect.
How do you weave gratitude into the tapestry of your life?
My Cup Runneth Over
When we saw this trailer overflowing with bicycles galore, I thought, Holy cow, that’s a lot of bicycles! I don’t know who owns them or why they have so many, but clearly their “cup runneth over.”
For the rest of the walk I wondered, what do I have a lot of? Certainly nothing tangible in that quantity. But I have a heckofa lot of intangibles to be grateful for: peace, joy, and whole health—body, mind, and spirit. In fact, my cup runneth over!
Does your cup runneth over?
Happy Thanksgiving from our house to yours.
The 59ers
On September 28 I begin the 59th year of my life. My fifties have been grand, and I have so much to be thankful for. In no particular order, following is a list of 59 things that I am tremendously grateful for:
- Breathing—the ability to breathe with ease
- My senses: taste, touch, vision, hearing, smell, equilibrium, intuition, and my sense of humor
- Health — body, mind, and spirit
- Connection with divinity, family, friends, and companion animals
- A world of ethnic cuisine to enjoy (especially Asian)
- Trees
- Travel
- Books and libraries
- Photography
- Farmers—”no farms, no food”
- Pollinators such as bees, butterflies, hummingbirds
- Gentle dog groomers who work with animals without scaring them
- Blue skies
- Thunderstorms
- Mountains, log cabins
- Oceans, lakes, rivers, streams
- Creativity
- Music and singing (I’m a rock star in the car!)
- Exercise: yoga, bicycle riding, swimming, hiking
- First responders: Red Cross, firefighters, police, paramedics
- Teachers who make positive, life-long impressions on their students
- Healing: traditional, complementary, integrative, and alternative
- Color (especially green)
- Laughter, smiling
- Personal safety
- Treats: peppermint ice cream, red licorice, BBQ chips
- Peace
- Intentional kindness
- Manners
- Backgammon
- Spontaneity
- Flying with a safety conscious pilot (Len) who keeps the ease of his passengers — seasoned or otherwise — in mind
- Imagination
- Mental acuity: focus, memory, concentration, and understanding
- Sensitivity
- Comfort with being alone (enjoy my own company), personal getaways
- Sunrises and sunsets
- Flowers, color
- Drinkable water that flows from a tap
- A roof over our heads
- Geothermal heat
- Proximity: we can walk or ride our bicycles to everything we need
- Dreaming
- Indoor plumbing, electricity
- Volunteers and humanitarians such as hospice, Amnesty International, Greenpeace, Sea Shepherd, Conservation Society, Doctors Without Borders, Habitat for Humanity, and Conservation International
- Curiosity, observation
- Color blindness — nonjudgment based on skin color
- Philanthropy
- People who leave places better than when they found them
- Ergonomic desk chairs
- Scented soy candles
- Glasses that help me to see clearly
- Physicians, surgeons, dentists, optometrists, medical technicians (etc) with well-developed bedside manners
- Flying kites
- Appliances: refrigerator, stove/oven, microwave, coffeemaker, etc…
- Enjoyment of learning something new
- Entertainment: screen, stage, and sidewalk (i.e., buskers)
- Uncluttered space—inside and out
- My lifelong partner, Len
Big, little, tangible, or intangible, name three things you’re grateful for.
Note: we are currently traveling. I won’t be able to respond to comment until Wednesday.
G is for Gratitude
Gratitude
The words “gratitude” and “grace” share a common origin: the Latin word gratus, meaning “pleasing” or “thankful.”
In the monthly copy of the AHP newsletter (Association for Humanistic Psychology) that I receive, a recent article defined gratitude as “orientation towards noticing and appreciating the positive in the world.”
I won’t argue with that, but I’d like to add a qualifier. I believe that definition describes passive gratitude. If, however, that spark ignites a fire that inspires personal change, that passivity transforms into active gratitude.
It is my perspective that gratitude in action—as a regular practice—has a wide brushstroke of positive effects:
Inward—through appreciation we find contentment.
Outward—it inspires generosity—be it our time, skills, or money—and gifts us with opportunities to serve.
Environmentally—it’s a catalyst for healing our planet through the respect of nature.
For thousands of years gratitude has crossed religious and cultural boundaries not only as a social virtue, but as a theological virtue, but it’s a relatively new subject in the field of scientific research.
The University of California Davis psychology professor Robert Emmons’ research indicates that “Grateful people take better care of themselves and engage in more protective health behaviors like regular exercise, a healthy diet, (and) regular physical examinations.” His research also revealed that grateful people tend to be more optimistic, a characteristic that literally boosts the immune system—a clear physical benefit.
Dr. Alex Wood, a postgraduate researcher in the Department of Psychology, University of Warwick says, “…gratitude is an integral part of well-being;”—a distinct benefit to our mental and emotional faculties.
Gratitude helps to open the heart, the seat of compassion. It helps us to see the good in our experience, regardless. It enhances trust and helps us to forgive—an unarguable benefit to our spiritual aspect.
Better than a multi-vitamin, gratitude is plain good for us!
How do you weave gratitude into your life tapestry?
© TuesdaysWithLaurie.com
America the Beautiful
Recently I said to Kathy over on Lake Superior Spirit, “Isn’t it grand to be grateful, to be appreciative of the things we sometimes take for granted? Just the other day on a bike ride I was thinking about the many freedoms I enjoy and I started singing out loud.”
In thinking about my comment—and also being grateful for the 1,100 photographs that were retrieved after my hard drive died—I thought I’d pull some of the photographs to support the song I was singing:
Oh beautiful for spacious skies
For amber waves of grain
For purple mountain majesties
Above the fruited plain
America, America
Grace has been shed on thee
Crown thy good with peoplehood
From sea to shining sea
In order of the lyrics, the locations where the photos were taken are listed as follows:
Spacious skies – Mackinack Island, Michigan
Amber waves of grain – Owasso, Oklahoma
Purple mountain magesties – Mount St. Helens, Oregon
Above the fruited plains – Capron, Illinois
America, America – Belgium, Wisconsin
Grace has been shed on thee – Poplar Grove, Illinois
Crown thy good with peoplehood – Wrigley Field (Chicago, IL)
From sea to shining sea – Cardiff by the sea, California
What was the last song you sang out loud out of sheer joy or gratitude?
“Whatever you are not changing, you are choosing.”
– Laurie Buchanan
www.HolEssence.com
Copyright © 2010 Laurie Buchanan — All Rights Reserved
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