I Appreciate YOU! JOY Boosting Gratitude Rituals
Before I dive into my content, I just wanted to let you know how much I appreciate you. Thank YOU for showing up and doing your part to heal your body and soul. Your healing helps you show up in your lives, in your center, and in your heart with more compassion and empathy to make choices that are good for us all. We are all doing this together. I am grateful to be in this journey called LIFE together with you! Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday in the US. Besides one of my favorite foods being pumpkin pie (and it's everywhere I go), this is the time of the year we take time to appreciate our lives and each other. An attitude of gratitude can bring instantaneous contentment and joy, and connect us together. It's one of the most potent medicine for our mind and soul. Even though we understand the concept, everyday stress and anxiety can often prevent us to open our eyes to the beauty and miracles in this present moment. It's tempting to look at what we don't have with envy. There are a few things I do in my everyday life to make gratitude a habit. Read on as I share my go-to gratitude rituals. Life is precious. The recent fire and gun violence in the communities close to my home and close to my heart have been truly heartbreaking. This kind of calamity or major life-changing events always reminds me of the fragility of life, and just how precious we all are. It's a constant reminder that we got to appreciate what IS in life and savor each moment and each other as the life we know can be taken away at any second. I learned the same lesson when I was diagnosed with cancer last year. I am grateful that my 1.5-year check up post surgery just came back clean, and I am also grateful that this experience opened up my eyes even more than ever before to appreciate the beauty, gifts, and lessons in everyday life. It's true that what we appreciate appreciates in every area of our lives. Here are my Gratitude Rituals:
I have a vision board above my altar. I made it in 2009 and I have been adding my visions and goals. Many dreams came true on the board. When I look at it every day, it gives me a sense of gratitude for the life that I have right now rather than just focusing on what has not happened yet. I pray and say a word of gratitude for whatever stands out at that moment. If you want to try this, you can make a vision board that has pictures or words to remind you of the blessing you have in your life, to symbolize what you have achieved, your loved ones pictures etc...
Before a meal, I bless my food and think of something I appreciate in my life. When I am having a meal with my boyfriend, or someone who's open to share this experience, we do it together.
Gratitude Journal: When I know I am writing down something I appreciate at night, I consciously/unconsciously start to look for blessings I have in my life.
What are your gratitude rituals? I would love to hear from you. You can leave your comments below to share with everyone! Thank you so much for reading it through! I hope you are all having a great day celebrating life and each other. With Gratitude, Kiyomi
