One morning in early October, I glanced at my cell phone and noticed the weather app ominously predicting many days of snow and icy temperatures ahead. Brrr! I could feel the chill of dark thoughts starting to gather. I could feel my body creak with cold and aging.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Life\u2019s challenges were seemingly everywhere. And yet\u2026I was smiling. I was cheerful. I was grateful. What? Was I crazy?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I made a general goal to cultivate more resilience<\/a> around the ups and downs of life, so I made a point of tuning my awareness toward the appreciation of life\u2019s small delights<\/a>. I was curious about what I would discover if I focused intentionally on the things that I appreciated. That morning, as I let wakefulness peel the dark back, I could smell my neighbor\u2019s coffee brewing. The snow outside gently buffered the sounds of the world. I could sense my husband\u2019s warm weight in the bed. I took a long time to savor the moment by enjoying the muted winter light edging in around the slats of the window blinds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n There was nothing particularly special going on, but I noticed that being grateful for little things was already lifting my dark thoughts.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n There was nothing particularly special going on, but I noticed that being grateful for little things was already lifting my dark thoughts. Difficulties were still present, but awareness of my gratitude<\/a> was shifting my view, letting me see that everything was not dark and cold\u2014in fact, many sights and sounds were quite lovely.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Would you like to join me in a gratitude practice to help you savor the moment in front of you?<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
Gratitude Practice: Savor the Moment by Tapping into Your Senses<\/h2>\n\n\n\n