Stretching into Gratitude

The single greatest thing you can do to improve your life today would be to start being grateful for what you have right now.
Oprah Winfrey

Another absolutely beautiful day.  Yesterday too was full of sunshine and mild breezes.  I soaked it up as much as I could after work.  I sat outside and marked papers, and went for a walk when D. got home.  As we walked under the beautiful old trees and over the pine needles that lined the trails,  I found myself looking up saying, "Thank You!  Thank You!  Thank You!" Just that alone filled me with something I have not been feeling enough of lately...something we all can be feeling all the time. Gratitude.  Then D. and I went for ice-cream ( I indulge on the lactose free once in a while...my only source of dairy...Ice cream has been one of my favorite foods despite my lactose intolerance and one of those things you can not help but be totally present while you eat it...rationalization at its best... lol :)).  Yes it was a good day...despite the back that was definitely intent on being heard; despite the post work fatigue...it was a good day and I was very grateful. I am grateful for today as well.

In my book,  Beyond Fear and Shame, There is Love, I write about the Ten Second Reboot. This little exercise can bring us back whenever we are feeling overwhelmed, curled up in submission, heavy with external pressures or just plain old exhausted.  It is literally  a throwing off of the burden, standing tall, reaching as high as you can and saying "Thank You!  Thank You!  Thank You!"  to absolutely everything.  The stretching tricks the body into feeling healthy, vibrant and alive.  It tricks the mind into feeling powerful and unlimited.  It reminds all of us of the powerful energy that runs though our bodies and connects us to all around us. We are connected to the earth below us but we extend beyond physical form, beyond this world we have come to see as our reality. We are not overstretching when we do this...we are not trying to fool  our minds into believing we feel bliss when we don't. We are simply experiencing the feeling of "better" when we do this.  It makes you feel better.  It really does.  It is like making a choice..."I can continue to feel the way I do now...or I can feel better."  When I stretch up I automatically feel better even though my mind and body may be trying to convince me at the time...that it is not going to work and I am just crazier than a bag of hammers.

Saying "Thank you!" is the real magic though.  There is something so healing and so freeing in uttering those simple words. The act of looking up at the sky, feeling the earth beneath you and your muscles extending...makes appreciation so much easier to express.  Those two actions...the physical stretching and the verbal expression... allow our natural inclination for gratitude to be set free...so it flows through us sincerely.  You do not need to know exactly what you are thankful for or why...you just have to feel it, experience it.

Be thankful for where you are right now! Try the reboot  a couple of times today to see for yourself.  What have you got to lose...20 seconds out of your day and possibly the heavy burden you have been carrying for much too long. 

All is well in my world.