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Shall We Gather Online?
Do you want to keep receiving these emails? Practicing Gratitude in Solitude I am seeking your input on the future of ourgratitudecollective. I created this website five years ago for the purpose of having a place for like-minded people to gather and share gratitude in community. It has been a beautiful endeavor. That has been…
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Self-Soothing: a gratitude ritual
Self-Soothing is Self-Love in Action Create a Self-Soothe Kit I have been making great use of a self-soothe kit I made last year and I would love to share that with you. I was guided to make my kit by Vanya Garabedian, LCSW who uses it with her clients who are in recovery from addiction. …
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When You Stop Searching
A note for me that might just be what you need to hear too. You Are OK The spirit in you is shining bright. You don’t see it though. Your focus is elsewhere. Everywhere. You are searching. Sometimes slow sometimes frantic. For the right way. For more time. For what’s next. For validation, distraction, meaning.…
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Thank You, Younger Me
That one time … Finding the Good in Ourselves Think about your younger self. All they were and did that brought you to today. Honor these memories with gratitude. Write a little love note of appreciation to your younger self. What a beautiful way to connect with your younger self, your past, your heart, your…
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Without Their Validation
I accept myself in this moment. Using Gratitude to Stop Caring What Others Think In the scenario from last week I talked about how expectations can get in the way of positive emotion. Another way to see that scenario is from the lens of validation, which really is just another way of saying acceptance. External…
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Fun Matters
😂 Beaming With Joy You know me. I am so damn serious all the time. Well almost all the time. Especially when I am in professional, work, learning and healing modes. But the lesson that has emerged for me recently is fun, smiles, happiness, great big joy for no reason at all. Or for every…
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Ceremony and Ritual
Why I am all about rituals. Intention and Actions in Sequence I’ve been mentioning rituals for awhile now. Even sharing some of the gratitude and healing rituals I enjoy practicing. But I have never really talked about why I am all about rituals and ceremony. I love the word ritual. There is just something about…
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Grief and Self Touch
Appreciating your body with touch. Intentional Self Touch During Times of Grief I have been thinking a lot about grief and loss. There are people in our gratitude community who are experiencing profound losses right now. And there are people in my other communities, people in the country and all over the world, who are…
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Ever Feel Like You Aren’t Doing Enough?
Small Matters That Post-Inspiration Paralysis A few of you replied to the email last week to tell me how much you loved what I wrote. You were brought to tears. You were inspired. You want to do it. Really. Sing your big and beautiful swan sang. Make your mark. Feel proud of yourself. Go big.…
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Plot Twist Flow and Feel
I note to myself (and you) to help me flow with these ups and downs. Mijita, Sit down, mijita. Take a breath. It's been a long week. A week of celebration. Feeling the intoxicating bliss of love. Getting into the school program you have been dreaming about for so many years. A week of loss.…
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My Week of Rest
I am grateful to take good care of myself. Forced to Rest I have been forced to have so much rest due to illness. So just a quote, prompt and image for you this week. I hope you have been able to find gratitude each and every day. Whatever the present moment contains, accept…
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Gratitude Can Help Uphold Your Boundaries
How do you respond to an apology? Teaching People How To Treat You Setting personal boundaries is really tough. On some level all of us know how we want to be treated by others. But knowing it is only the foundation. We also have to communicate these boundaries and then honor them. I have been…
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The Way That Song Makes Me Feel
Let’s celebrate the music of our lives. The Feelings. The Memories. Thank You, Music. Oh music. You touch us all. You make us feel. You remind us of joyous and heart-wrenching times gone by. Each and every one of us appreciate music. Which connects us all. Today I would like to celebrate music and the…
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Notice the Beauty of Nature
Nature makes you pay attention this time of year. The Call of Nature On Saturday I was rushing all day from obligations to a friend and family and home. All things I am full of appreciation for but because I was rushing and busy I wasn’t present. At one point in the day I was…
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Fall Gratitude Walk
A walk outdoors to deliberately take in moments of beauty. Gratitude Found Take a walk with me as we explore nature and the outdoors. We find gratitude in unexpected places. And remind ourselves to be grateful for things that are easy to take for granted. We explore the concept of unattachment, noticing, appreciating and letting…
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Breathing is Enough
Me too. Let’s just take a breath together. Letting Ourselves Off the Hook of Gratitude I’ve been writing a series of these about difficult times and grief. After last week I declared that to be the last of the series and I would move to more positive and feel good topics. But then “me too”…
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Breathing is Enough
Me too. Let’s just take a breath together. Letting Ourselves Off the Hook of Gratitude I’ve been writing a series of these about difficult times and grief. After last week I declared that to be the last of the series and I would move to more positive and feel good topics. But then “me too”…
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A Poem of Blessings for Times of Grief
These words. Like a soothing bubble bath for your soul. Beannacht, the Gaelic Word for Blessings by John O'Donohue On the day when The weight deadens On your shoulders And you stumble, May the clay dance To balance you. And when your eyes Freeze behind The gray window And the ghost of loss Gets in…
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In Outrage and in Gratitude
Don’t cover your eyes to it. Don’t ignore it. Take care of yourself too. Being Grateful When The World is So Fucked Up Gratitude ≠Happiness Darkness is not a lack of gratitude. Authentic gratitude comes from looking at the world with eyes wide open. It is not protected behind blinders – ignoring the horrors…
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So, you want to be a badass?
Oh my gosh. Why is this so scary? Tough = Vulnerable I love the quote this week. It is so very true that the most rebellious thing we can do in a disconnected and harsh world is to show our hearts. Show your heart to your friends. Show your heart to your family. Show your…