Wednesday 25 June 2008

Gratitude

In my early days of blogging I created a gratitude list in my side-bar which I have added to nearly every post. Most of the things I am grateful for are constants - family & friends, the pets I have the pleasure of caring for (even Phoebe the difficult cat!), things like the roof over my head, my spectacles (even though I dislike the frames I have chosen!) morning walks, the opportunity to paint and then all the many, many little things. Practicing gratitude is like doing a stocktake of your life, discovering just how much you actually have.

The science tells us that we are happier when we practice gratitude and I would extend that to telling others how grateful we are for the things they have done for us. Not just a quick 'thanks', but really getting the message across that they have made a difference to your life. Take a look at Christine Kane's blog post on being present in a state of gratitude.

6 comments:

  1. Hi Patti. This is a great way of looking at the world! Your camellia is beautiful, I like those large camellia flowers which fall completely, not just the petals, on the earth when withered.

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  2. Looking forward to lunch on Sunday - my treat (for your birthday)!

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  3. I totally love that Camellia and I have always loved reading your gratitude list - please don't stop adding :)

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  4. Hi Patti, thanks for sharing this link with us, I went there and left a comment, Ms Kane's words are simply uplifting!
    I love the camelia too, what a beauty.
    love
    Andrea

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  5. Hi, Patti, Really beautiful!
    I love that Camellia. Nice color.
    Excellet!
    Happy day

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  6. Love the photo and the links to gratitude sites. I like that idea of listing five things to be grateful for. Maybe will try it. I am grateful that you are in Australia blogging these thoughts. There we go with #1. Take care and happy birthday. Suki

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