Gratitude Every Moment
By Cara Chang Mutert
Gratitude. Such a simple concept, yet we so often can lose sight of it when we’re treading water and swimming in the sea of our very high frequency, confusing, and painful world.
When the world is off kilter, both our intellect and emotions provide filters through which we see. They can skew our perception, tilting it in one way or another, making us feel unbalanced and uncertain. When that occurs for any sustained period of time, it can leave us feeling anxious, sad, depressed, angry, and frustrated. Left unchecked, it can lead to isolation and feelings of worry, distrust, fear of betrayal, even illness. To cope, we either move blindly through the motions, or stay in bed all day and sink into lethargy. Or maybe even more commonly, schedule ourselves into a frenzy of constant doing, tasks, errands, running, and going.
Sound familiar? As the holidays pick up steam, we are at even more risk of falling into the traps of mindless doing to avoid what’s really happening and what we are actually feeling. It’s an easy snare to get caught in because most of the “doing” has to get “done.” You know, I know.
But it’s not a matter of slamming on the brakes and just halting all the doing. Because in real life, that’s actually not possible. But how we approach all the doing is. Taking a more mindful attitude toward everything we do this season can be more gratifying if we pause to slow down every once in a while as we’re doing it.
When you’re feeling overwhelmed, pause and breathe. Take a break. Reconnect to your intention behind the holidays: To spend time with each other. To celebrate each other. Our relationships. Our love for one another. Not to impress one another with expensive gifts, lavish decorations, fancy cards or wrapping paper. Remember the best gifts are family, friends, and community. If you’ve forgotten that, remind yourself of that. Sharing time together with each other is the gift.
Gathering with close family over a plentiful meal is a sacred and universal celebratory practice shared across the globe, within every culture, nationality, and origin. With no other purpose than to be together, share stories of hardship, laughter, tears, and miracles, remember why we’re thankful, to nourish our bodies and replenish our spirits with love.
So when you catch yourself in a stress-filled holiday moment, whether in the kitchen, waiting in long lines at the store, battling with online shopping passwords, dealing with a challenging family member, or even snapping at your beloved, pause to remember what’s important. Whittle it back down to something you love about your life right now. Connect with the big and small gifts in your life that remind you life is worth living, like children, grandchildren, pets, nature, and friendship. Mine your heart for a sense of compassion for the difficult person you may be rehearsing to see again. Visualize the moment when the dishes are done, the house is quiet, the gifts are put away, and you finally can sit down with your cup of hot tea/glass of wine and congratulate yourself on another year well done.
Most of us possess more power than we allow ourselves to accept. For me, the practice of gratitude every day, and in every moment when I can, has been transformative. It opened a door, allowing me to see the brighter side of most situations, and move through them with more ease. So give yourself permission to pause, breathe, and be grateful for all the big and little blessings in your life. Yes, it’s yoga! But also kind of like mashed potatoes. Chew on a few chunks, savor the creamy, buttery smoothness, and the rest will be… gravy. 😉