Arrive in gratitude

It’s time to talk about gratitude. Accessibly. 

Accessibility has always been so important to me. I can’t have you gathering additional items for your to-do list based off your reading. Instead, I would love for you to gather up considerations. Options. And enablers. So that when you’re in the trickiness and can’t quite make out the path to the closest “exit” sign, you’ll have support to tap into. In the moment. 

The idea of “in the moment” practices arrived to me first in the context of gratitude. The concept of a gratitude journal can be intimidating… do I need a certain kind of notebook? What if I miss a day? What if I can’t think of anything new to be grateful for? 

Or on the other hand, it can be made to be superhuman. We expect our lives to dramatically change through the adoption of a gratitude practice, and with every new day of practicing, we find ourselves searching more longingly for the change. Is it here? Did it happen? Am I a fully evolved person? Where’s my bliss???

And so many practices can be that way. When we put our bare feet onto our yoga mat, we also lay down all our expectations on it: now, yoga can fix my life.

When we sit down and lower our gaze to meditate, we sit the pressure down right beside us: go ahead, meditation, do your best! I keep hearing how remarkable you are… leave your mark!

And when we pick up the latest self-help book, we scoop up an assumption that this, truly THIS, must contain the answers. This is bound to offer the key that I’ve been searching for to unlock my true potential, my true alignment, my true happiness. Right???

We lift our gaze to a new practice, and we immediately let our expectations rise right alongside it. 

Then we wait. And we watch. And we wait some more. But we keep watching, looking, searching for the change. Which - of course - removes us from actually being in the practice itself. (Ugh). 

And on a not-so-extraordinary day, I realized: we arrive in the moment. In each moment. We don’t arrive to the highly anticipated “someday” and finally experienced bliss, peace, or joy. We arrive and experience each of them when we choose - truly choose - to be right here, right now. In the moment. 

So why wouldn’t we practice in the moment? Why wouldn’t we draw from postures on the mat, journaling exercises, and meditative approaches to offer real-time support for the seekers? For the busy-bodies? For the trying, but oh so tired’s?? 

And so: here it is. After years of practicing - on the mat, in many (many) journals, and on my meditation seat - I have begun to consolidate the takeaways and tactics that have most significantly influenced my own bliss. My own peace. My own joy. And I’d like to share them with you. 

We’ll begin today with “In The Moment Gratitude.” #inthemomentgratitude if it speaks to you and you feel compelled to share! 

Maybe you’re already an avid daily practitioner or perhaps you’re rolling your eyes at the mere mention of a gratitude practice. Either way, you’re in the right place. 

You’re exactly where you need to be, Dear One. 

Because mama’s about to make gratitude simple. And isn’t that what we want? Just a simple, yet utterly profound practice that can help us move from busy-brains to calm, content beings? Who are totally enjoying and experiencing our lives? And who don’t need to think too hard about how to add something else to our jam-packed to-do lists or schedule a babysitter in order to accomplish it? 

Yes. All that. 

Accessibility and practicality are what “In The Moment Gratitude” is all about. 

Let’s begin by unifying around a truth: we don’t need one more thing. Right? Don’t give us an assignment. Or a journal prompt. Or a calendarized action step. Right? We have enough that we’re juggling, and a few things (typically self-care related) that are continuously left off the priority list altogether. So how is it, exactly, that we are supposed to add one more item into this current crowded condition? 

We’re not. This practice is not about one more; it’s about one moment. One moment that we choose - because we always choose, friend - to breathe into gratitude in place of something tricky. A worry about the unknown future, for example, or even a “dang, if only I had…” about the past.

Our minds cannot focus on two things at one time. As much as we believe in our heart of hearts - or maybe our brain of brains - that we are world champion multitaskers, we are not. Our minds are incredibly capable and can flip topics quicker than we can scan the new Netflix releases. And those sneaky, speedy skills make us believe we are indeed focusing on numerous things at once. But, alas, we just keep flipping. Mental, split-second, channel-changing. All day, every day. And it’s flippin’ exhausting… isn’t it??

Let me assure you, there is a light to be found in this reality… we cannot focus on multiple topics at once, so when we direct our attention to one topic, we set another one down. I’m going to take a wild guess here and say that some of the programs that play on repeat in your beautiful brain are dramas, some are dark comedies, and maybe some are even horrors. Gratitude is the remote control that can turn off those channels. 

Every time we choose gratitude, we are turning on something lovely. And in turn, we are able to turn off something tricky.

When we pick up the remote, and flip to gratitude, we are turning off the program that was previously playing. It is that simple. 

If you’re feeling worried about how a future circumstance is going to unfold, direct your attention to something in your present circumstance that you’re grateful for. The yummy granola topping on your bowl of nourishing oatmeal. The still somewhat warm sip of coffee you just took. Your daughter entertaining herself by paging through one of your throw-back Berenstein Bear’s book. 

If you’re re-thinking, over-thinking, and over-analyzing a past decision, settle your attention on a current reality. The sun shining through your window. Your cup of fresh, clean water. Your mind’s blessed ability to focus on only one thing at a time to aid your exit out of the sticky, second-guessing swirl.

And this is my personal favorite part: this practice all happens in your head. In the moment. You don’t need to find a journal. Or secure 15 minutes of quiet to meditate on appreciation. Or wake up early. Or give up your EOD Netlix ritual. You can practice this at any point and every point during your day. And it takes literal seconds. 

Let’s give the practice a try together - in this moment - to really feel into how accessible it is. 

Inhale… exhale… and allow your attention to settle in on something you’re grateful for. I’m glancing down at the lavender candle burning on the desk in front of me and am directing my appreciation to its calming scent. Ahhh…

That’s it. Did that take 5 seconds? 3? 

Of course, you can repeat the practice. Direct your attention to another appreciative focus. Or three. Make it yours. Tailoring a practice for you is always the answer. Tweaking it and experiencing it in a way that serves you such that you’ll return to it and it can keep on serving you… yes please. 

And here’s an extra delighter for you, friend: the more we practice gratitude in the calming moments, the more of a well we will have to draw from in the trickier moments. This isn’t just a tactic that can help you settle your energy when you’re struggling. It can also support you any moment of any day. 

Helping you to arrive - right here, right now. 

I love to fall asleep to my gratitude practice. I thank God for the amazingness of my day, and typically drift off by the time I list gratitude item #4 or #5. 

Play. Welcome "In The Moment Gratitude” to support you. And then observe how it does. The more consistently we leverage the gratitude remote, the more second-nature it will become for us. 

Inhale… exhale… and appreciate. 

It’s this simple. In this moment. In the moment. 

Ready to try, mama?