Monday, January 6, 2014

A Good Day

I don't know about the weather where you are, but it is freaking cold where I live. A lot of snow yesterday. And wind. I swear I shoveled the same foot of snow three times. Seriously.

However. My home is warm, the furnace is in good repair, my neighborhood has power, and I have food on my shelves. I am also grateful to have the Internet which allows me to stay home during this bitter cold weather yet be connected to people. I am grateful for the bounty in my life and on days like today, I need to be especially mindful of that.

When I think about gratitude, Brother David Steindle-Rast's video, "A Good Day," comes to mind, and I make a point of watching/listening to it again.


I've thought of downloading the mp3 and using it as my morning alarm. What a wonderful start to the day it would be, spending those five minutes of "snooze" time listening to this gentle meditation. I've probably shared it here before, and many of you may already know of it, but I'll post the link anyway. The slide show is beautiful, but sometimes I just like to close my eyes and listen to Brother David's calming voice.

A Good Day by Brother David Steindle-Rast

One of the gratitude practices I have been doing for the past couple of years is in simple interactions with people I encounter along the way. I say thank-you. I try to make it meaningful, not trite. I look the person in the eye and say, "thank you so much, <person's name>" and then add something specific about the service - "it was a wonderful meal" or "you saved me so much time" or "I really appreciate your help," etc. I always try to get the person's name, whether from the name tag or just asking them. Using their name makes the interaction so much more personal. Most people respond well to that, looking at me and smiling. I hope each time I do this it helps that person have a better day. Think about how you feel when someone expresses their appreciation for something you've done. Or when they don't say anything. Or worse. What we say to others, how we say it, matters. It matters a lot.

We hope that, when the insects take over the world, they will remember with gratitude how we took them along on all our picnics. -Bill Vaughan
I hope each of you have A Good Day.

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