{"id":451,"date":"2013-11-25T21:19:06","date_gmt":"2013-11-25T21:19:06","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.beliefnet.com\/blessingsabound\/?p=451"},"modified":"2013-11-25T21:19:54","modified_gmt":"2013-11-25T21:19:54","slug":"exercising-your-gratitude-muscles","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/blessingsabound\/2013\/11\/exercising-your-gratitude-muscles.html","title":{"rendered":"Exercising Your Gratitude Muscles"},"content":{"rendered":"

<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Yesterday I was asked to speak on Gratitude.\u00a0 <\/span>And rather than spending time extolling the virtues of gratitude, I thought I would demonstrate it.\u00a0 <\/span>So I had someone time me for five minutes.\u00a0 <\/span>During those five minutes, I mentioned everything I could think of I was grateful for.\u00a0 <\/span>Someone was keeping count \u2013 in five minutes, I came up with 95 things.\u00a0 <\/span>(Afterwards, of course I thought of many more I\u2019d forgotten.)<\/p>\n

So, in honor of Gratitude Month and the upcoming Thanksgiving holiday, I will perform that same exercise here.\u00a0 <\/span>And instead of naming things out loud, I will type them here.\u00a0 <\/span>As soon as the clock flips to the next number I will begin.<\/p>\n

I am thankful for:<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. this laptop<\/li>\n
  2. my\u00a0 <\/span>brain<\/li>\n
  3. a functioning body<\/li>\n
  4. day and night<\/li>\n
  5. my family<\/li>\n
  6. my parents specifically<\/li>\n
  7. my siblings<\/li>\n
  8. my nieces and nephews<\/li>\n
  9. my grandparents<\/li>\n
  10. my ancestors<\/li>\n
  11. my stepson<\/li>\n
  12. his girlfriend<\/li>\n
  13. my sisters and brothers-in-law<\/li>\n
  14. my health<\/li>\n
  15. that I am cancer-free<\/li>\n
  16. that I am a woman<\/li>\n
  17. my wonderful friends<\/li>\n
  18. my education<\/li>\n
  19. the opportunities I\u2019ve had as a middle-class woman in this country<\/li>\n
  20. my teachers<\/li>\n
  21. art<\/li>\n
  22. music<\/li>\n
  23. animals \u2013 wild animals<\/li>\n
  24. our pets<\/li>\n
  25. the animals that give themselves to be our food<\/li>\n
  26. plants of all kinds<\/li>\n
  27. trees<\/li>\n
  28. medicinal herbs<\/li>\n
  29. flowers<\/li>\n
  30. fruits and vegetables<\/li>\n
  31. nuts and seeds<\/li>\n
  32. the gift of touch<\/li>\n
  33. the gift of sight<\/li>\n
  34. the gift of hearing<\/li>\n
  35. the gift of smell<\/li>\n
  36. other senses<\/li>\n
  37. sleep<\/li>\n
  38. a good bed<\/li>\n
  39. a warm home in the winter<\/li>\n
  40. cooling devices for summer<\/li>\n
  41. the cycle of seasons<\/li>\n
  42. freedom<\/li>\n
  43. language<\/li>\n
  44. children<\/li>\n
  45. elders<\/li>\n
  46. babies<\/li>\n
  47. kindness<\/li>\n
  48. mercy<\/li>\n
  49. good people<\/li>\n
  50. people from whom we learn lessons<\/li>\n
  51. color<\/li>\n
  52. beauty<\/li>\n
  53. mountains<\/li>\n
  54. oceans<\/li>\n
  55. rivers and streams<\/li>\n
  56. wells and springs<\/li>\n
  57. clean potable water at the turn of a faucet<\/li>\n
  58. indoor plumbing<\/li>\n
  59. bathtubs and showers<\/li>\n
  60. kitchen facilities<\/li>\n
  61. electricity<\/li>\n
  62. cars<\/li>\n
  63. clothes<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    Okay.\u00a0 <\/span>Time ran out.\u00a0 <\/span>Too bad I can\u2019t type faster!<\/p>\n

    I\u2019m going to give myself another test.\u00a0 <\/span>Let me see if I can think of 63 more things \u2013 no time limit this time (but I will keep track anyway.)<\/p>\n

      \n
    1. The ability to move and run and dance<\/li>\n
    2. Good spiritual leaders of all faiths<\/li>\n
    3. Good people in government<\/li>\n
    4. Firefighters<\/li>\n
    5. EMTs<\/li>\n
    6. Good hospitals<\/li>\n
    7. Nurses<\/li>\n
    8. Good doctors<\/li>\n
    9. Feeling loved<\/li>\n
    10. The ability to love<\/li>\n
    11. the relationships I\u2019ve had in my life<\/li>\n
    12. the opportunities I\u2019ve had to travel<\/li>\n
    13. Books<\/li>\n
    14. \u00a0<\/span>laughter<\/li>\n
    15. Teachers I\u2019ve had in non-academic settings<\/li>\n
    16. Challenging situations I\u2019ve learned from<\/li>\n
    17. Girlfriends<\/li>\n
    18. Fairy tales<\/li>\n
    19. Angels and allies in non-physical dimensions<\/li>\n
    20. Miracles<\/li>\n
    21. Magic<\/li>\n
    22. The Sun<\/li>\n
    23. the Moon<\/li>\n
    24. the Stars<\/li>\n
    25. Rainbows<\/li>\n
    26. Dew<\/li>\n
    27. Rainfall<\/li>\n
    28. Snow<\/li>\n
    29. Fresh air<\/li>\n
    30. Refreshing wind<\/li>\n
    31. this beautiful planet Earth<\/li>\n
    32. the element of fire<\/li>\n
    33. Dreams<\/li>\n
    34. Lovemaking<\/li>\n
    35. Those who kindly help us take care of our elders<\/li>\n
    36. Those who work to find cures for diseases<\/li>\n
    37. Teachers who help our children to learn<\/li>\n
    38. Rainforests<\/li>\n
    39. Prairies<\/li>\n
    40. The sky<\/li>\n
    41. Whales and dolphins specifically<\/li>\n
    42. the cycle of seasons<\/li>\n
    43. those who have kindly helped me financially when I\u2019ve needed help<\/li>\n
    44. those who have been an emotional support<\/li>\n
    45. counselors and therapists<\/li>\n
    46. good roads<\/li>\n
    47. airplanes<\/li>\n
    48. those who fight against injustice<\/li>\n
    49. those who work for peace<\/li>\n
    50. those who care about the environment<\/li>\n
    51. those who work to make the world a safer, cleaner, healthier place<\/li>\n
    52. those who offer alternative methods of healing<\/li>\n
    53. the ability to sing<\/li>\n
    54. songwriters<\/li>\n
    55. storytellers<\/li>\n
    56. artists<\/li>\n
    57. those who keep traditional rituals alive<\/li>\n
    58. work\/jobs<\/li>\n
    59. the ability to feel<\/li>\n
    60. my heart<\/li>\n
    61. Light<\/li>\n
    62. hope and faith<\/li>\n
    63. my Life<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

      Someone posted a question on Facebook the other day that I thought was extremely valuable:\u00a0 <\/span>What if we only had tomorrow that which we are thankful for today?\u00a0 <\/span><\/b>Doesn\u2019t that make you think?\u00a0 <\/span><\/p>\n

      \u00a0<\/b><\/p>\n

      Give yourself some gratitude goals.\u00a0 <\/span>Some people advocate a gratitude journal in which they list five things every day for which they are grateful.\u00a0 <\/span>That was always way too easy for me.\u00a0 <\/span>So I challenge you to the Five Minutes of Gratitude game.<\/b>\u00a0 <\/span>How many things can you name in five minutes?\u00a0 <\/span>You get bonus points if you think of things that I missed!<\/p>\n

      Let\u2019s practice being grateful for EVERYTHING!\u00a0 <\/span>I\u2019m not a big fan of Paul (in the Bible) however I do love this one piece of advice he gave: \u201cBe thankful in all circumstances.\u201d<\/p>\n

      Exercising gratitude is one of the nicest things you can do for yourself.\u00a0 It’s one of the most important of spiritual practices.<\/p>\n

      May you be richly blessed.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

      Yesterday I was asked to speak on Gratitude.\u00a0 And rather than spending time extolling the virtues of gratitude, I thought I would demonstrate it.\u00a0 So I had someone time me for five minutes.\u00a0 During those five minutes, I mentioned everything I could think of I was grateful for.\u00a0 Someone was keeping count \u2013 in five…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":553,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3,436,438,2,31,435,416,437,434],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-451","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-blessings","category-five-minute-gratitude-game","category-givng-thanks","category-gratitude","category-gratitude-journal","category-gratitude-muscles","category-spiritual-practices","category-thankfulness","category-thanksgiving"],"yoast_head":"\nExercising Your Gratitude Muscles - Blessings Abound<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"noindex, nofollow\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Exercising Your Gratitude Muscles - 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