Gratitude: making rainbows

Hello all! 

For my birthday (it was a big one), my daughter wrote me a card that said “To Mum. I love you because you make rainbows.” This sentiment definitely warmed my heart completely all over. It was the perfect gift and all I needed. She also baked a cake for me with her Dad and gave me fuzzy warm socks, which was the cherry on top (it was actually a Black Forest cake!Yum!). In school she wrote a gratitude journal that said she was grateful for her parents who keep her safe and give her lots of love. My son and I watched the sun go down and he told me it was beautiful and he was glad he got to watch it. “Goodnight Sun, see you tomorrow!” he said as we turned to go back inside. 

We have been focussing on gratitude a lot this year, since by way of experiencing happiness and joy in our lives, we must be grateful for all that we already have. Even on the most basic level, practicing gratitude also has the benefits of lowering stress levels and calming the body, so that you can think more clearly. It has proven to me, at any any rate, to be a useful tool in my mindfulness “superpower” utility belt (this is what I tell the munchkins when they start to get a bit entitled and complain about their lives). I think, this year especially, we will need this superpower as we gear up for the holiday season. It is going to be a different one for sure, but this does not have to be a bad thing. Already, we have had to have our Thanksgiving with a difference (this post was supposed to be written and posted two weeks ago, along with artwork!), but the Munchkins got colds, which then passed to me, and so we all had to be tested and isolate – it was negative so alls good on that front. However, it did mean we couldn’t spend it anywhere or with anyone and before I knew it, it was Thanksgiving weekend! I was grateful for online grocery deliveries (minus the pumpkin puree), Pinterest, Etsy digital downloads and my own ingenuity and creative thinking (to name but a few)! Supermum saves the day! So, our not-pumpkin-pie-not-yam-pie-sweet-potato pie was a bit of a flop, but our spiced sugar cookies were a hit and we discovered a mess free way to roll out the dough. (More on that later). It was, as always, the best time to be able to stay in our pjs and snuggle a lot on the sofa. I think this was the munchkins favourite bit and mine too.

“When it comes to life the critical thing is whether you take things for granted or take them with gratitude.”

G.K. Chesterton

All of these recents events, have brought to mind the very essence of how we, as a family, actually want to live our lives. It drives me forward to continue to develop that inner peace and sense of serenity. I know I have been caught in a whirlwind of “chronic dissatisfaction” and when we couldn’t go out anywhere and had to make do with what we had, I realised that we actually had way more than we needed in material possessions, but we were lacking in emotional needs. For this I got the munchkins and myself started again on our mindfulness journey. We have been using an app called ‘My Life” (used to be called “Stop, Breathe and Think”), but you can use whoever you like, there are lots out there. We like this one as it comes with a kids version too and some yoga sessions as well. They also do journeys to help you along a path you might be struggling with. I did the “Stress and Worry” journey recently and it was like doing my CBT allover again and a great refresher. You do focus a lot on kindnes, gratitude and compassion all the way through it too, so very relevant for this season of joy and goodwill.

Here are 4 meditations I have enjoyed doing that help promote that sense of thankfulness and supercharge my heart with “zee warmfuzees”:

1. I don’t know and that’s ok (Embrace uncertainty)

This one is a very good for me, as I have this need to know the answer or the solution or at the very least have a contingency plan for every problem I encounter (I am Little Miss Fix It!). I am not keen on going into a day where I don’t actually know what is going to happen, or I have a planned my week and it all changes. Then I can practice gratitude again, by being thankful for all that we have and can accomplish, even if it is part of a slightly different plan.

2. Stop, breathe and think (Bulldog weathers the storm for the kids version)

This meditation gives headspace and shifts my mind into a kinder attitude so that I can tackle any given situation and then it isn’t as dire as I might think it is. In fact, I have been quite impressed with my resilience these past few months and my ability to face my fears and do what needs to be done. 

3. Joy (“Bulldog finds his heartbeat” is the kids version)

Of course this one will have made the list! We do like to celebrate all that is joyful on here! This meditation is nice too, as we send out joyful wishes to everyone. My munchkins love the kids version. 

4. And lastly, of course, Gratitude (Bulldog practices gratitude for the kids version or Thank the farmer)

Sit for a moment and breathe in all that is good in life and think perhaps of all the times something could have gone wrong, but didn’t. Or the times you worried about a situation and it turned out better than you had anticipated. There have been many times in my life when I have “dodged a bullet”, and for that I am very grateful. 

I am also grateful for good company, good food, a warm and comfortable place to live (with heated underground parking!) and lots of lovely tea to drink (thank you David’s and Twinings). There is no greater pleasure these days in reconnecting ourselves with simplicity. It’s all we really need or could ever want.

What makes you thankful?

Stay safe, healthy and joyful,

Best,

Ax