-
Waving Your Flag
Putting it all out there. Loud and Proud Gratitude If you had a flag of your states of being what would be on it? What are you all about? What do you live by? Would your flag declare gratitude or love or peace or spirituality or fun or growth or something else or all of…
-
With Everything You’ve Got
Don’t wait to sing your swan song. The Most Beautiful Song One day when I was a teenager in my parents' house I heard the most beautiful music. It was so intense and complex and captivating that it drew me out of my self-absorbed and friend-obsessed ways. I immediately tried to locate where this music…
-
Pssst Pass It On
Passing good feelings around wide and far. A Smile. Kind Words. A Wish. How much time and energy does it take to share a few personalized kind words? To share a smile? To share a hug? Not too much. Let's make a point to share positive vibes with the humans in our world. Because the…
-
I Thought It Was a Good Luck Spell
Ha! I am not a gratitude witch after all. I Said Thank You Because I Wanted More You’d think I have this gratitude thing figured out by now after six years of this daily practice. But that’s why this is called a practice. There is no point of arriving. It is all becoming. Becoming grateful.…
-
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…
-
Cultivate Tenderness
Don’t be afraid of your tender heart. It feels too vulnerable. It feels scary. But it is healing. Healing Ourselves with Gratitude and Tenderness I spent my entire life trying to be tough. I wanted to be seen as cool. I wanted people to think that there is nothing they could do to hurt me…
-
Celebrating Our Lives
One the same day I was having a bunch of friends and family over to celebrate me I sat in a temazcal practicing humility. And this is what I realized. Celebrating Ourselves While Remaining Humble Practicing gratitude shows us how to celebrate our lives and ourselves without getting swept up in ego. Because humility is…
-
Heartfelt Gratitude For Your Mom
A recipe for Mother’s Day gratitude. Mom, Grandmother, Mother Earth, Like a Mom to Me This Sunday is Mother’s Day and what a beautiful time to reflect with gratitude on our own mom, grandmother, mother earth or those who are like a mother to us. Even if the person you want to express your…
-
Getting Real about Gratitude
It’s not all daisies and sunsets. The Reality of Gratitude Before I started my gratitude practice I used to roll my eyes at people’s gratitude. I mean, come on. Don’t they live in the real world like the rest of us? Where’s the dog shit and the car wrecks and the death? Why is…
-
Gratitude with Eyes Wide Open
Kid President has some beautiful words to inspire us this week. Practicing Gratitude Is Not about Ignoring the Bad Don’t be afraid of the bad. The sad. The hurt. I’m sorry. I don’t want to tell you how to feel. Be afraid if you must. But don’t close your eyes. Look at the bad.…
-
Show Up and Be Seen
Risk Vulnerability Two weeks ago I told you about my three step gratitude practice: Notice, Appreciate, Share. Some of us have a hard time with that third step: sharing our gratitude with others. That step is all about vulnerability and it reminds me of this quote by Brené Brown: “Vulnerability is about showing up and…
-
Why I Drop F-Bombs in My Gratitude
Swear Words Are an Invitation I never realized that declaring, “We want to be fucking grateful,” would be such a siren song for so many people. I was just speaking from my truth. Yes, I say fuck. I wasn’t raised that way. (Sorry mom.) And I turn it off when I’m around children or…
-
Was He Really Grateful for Doo Doo Head?
The boy scrawled those words on the gratitude board “doo doo head”. His family jumped to criticize but no one asked him what he meant. We Are So Damn Quick To Judge Others Yesterday I had the giant gratitude board at a community event celebrating love. It was beautiful with hundreds of people sharing…
-
The Art of Being Soft
The bees buzzed around me with all their potential to sting. What will I do? Choosing Softness It can be so easy to convince ourselves that we have to be hard and tough. Even here in our gratitude collective a few weeks ago I was talking about fighting. In times when there is…
-
A Nest, An Altar, An Amulet, Your Favorite Stone
I can hold it in my hand and know that I am home, that everything is OK, that I am safe. Creating Your Grateful Place No matter where you are or what circumstances surround you, gratitude remains a choice. But that choice may not present itself when you are immersed in whatever comes at…
-
Aaaaaah … Sinking into the Love
And just like that I was in paradise. With my gratitude overwhelming me I realized that finding gratitude in grief, loss, frustration, overwhelm and boredom help me to fully and humbly welcome the gift of my current surroundings. Thank You, I Accept This Gift This week I arrived in paradise. The lush jungle…
-
How to Inspire: From “Be Happy” to “I Am Grateful for ________”
Discovering Happiness During My Mid-College Crisis Something happened to me right around the time I turned 20. I called it my mid-college crisis and even though it was during the stone ages of the internet (back in 1995) I made a website about it. I questioned everything. Who am I? What am I doing with my…
-
The Worst Things about Yourself
Leaning In I was listening to an interview of advice columnist, Ask Polly, aka Heather Havrilesky. The interviewer asked her for advice on how to Be a Person in the World (the title of her upcoming book) and this was her answer. You’ve gotta lean way into what you already are. Lean way the…
-
Mary Oliver, Thank You for Giving Words to My Surrender
The Power of Letting Go The concept of our true self has been a theme lately that keeps popping up in different areas of my life. Who are you underneath that mask? Who are you when you are aligned in body, mind, spirit, values, senses, action and in ways that you didn’t even…
-
Fact-Based Gratitude
Gratitude Need Not Blind You from Reality Fact: This morning as I used the bathroom I stepped in something wet. Fact: It was dog pee. Fact: I was not fucking happy about this. Fact: I was grateful for having a washing machine to be able to take care of the problem. Gratitude is…