Gratitude
Chestnut and Hazelnut, my Nigerian Dwarf goats, crossing a creek on a log.
Gazing out the window from inside Twin Wolves, I feel so grateful. I am grateful for the cool breeze caressing my skin. I am grateful for the sunshine that brightens my day, for the shade of the clouds, and for the rain that nourishes life. I am grateful for Pinto Bean, my beloved dog and faithful companion who has tolerated my silliness for so many years. I am grateful to be healthy and to have had so much support from our community on my own healing journey. I am grateful for a heart, to be able to feel and love and be of service to the amazing people I meet every day. I am grateful to live in such a beautiful place, grateful for the wildflowers, the trees, the birds, and the coyotes who make surprise appearances near my home. I am grateful for clean water, clean air, and nourishing food. I am grateful for a place to rest my head at night, and for the stars and moon that watch over us as we sleep. I am grateful for my ancestors and parents, who sacrificed so much to make my life possible. I am grateful for my many teachers: every person, every place, every surprise twist of fate that has shaped me into who I am today. I am also grateful for the difficulty, the challenges, even the pain that has helped me to grow. I am grateful to be alive at all. I am grateful for my family, my friends, and our community. I am grateful for you.
There are so many health benefits from the simple act of practicing gratitude, ranging from boosting our happiness and life satisfaction, increasing our psychological resilience (which is how we respond to life’s challenges), to decreasing stress and the risk of both mental and physical illness, and more. Gratitude is a gift that is nourishing to give, and nourishing to receive.
If you want to explore a moving and interesting read on gratitude, consider the book Gratitude by Oliver Sacks, where he contemplates his life, his impending death and his thankfulness for the world he was blessed to experience.