Gratitude: a soft landing
This cartoon note was made by my husband Jack. When I was sick he would leave me notes before going to work in the mornings. It’s one of those little big things I’ve been so so grateful for. This little gesture made me feel so seen and loved and cared for.
A soft place to land
I was walking in the forest, just around the corner from my house, when I started wondering: Can I write something that can feel like this. In nature I feel calm, peaceful, more in tune with who I am. Nature is like a soft landing for me. It’s where it's most easy to reconnect with my heart.
When I put pen to paper and asked myself this, the first thing that I wrote down was gratitude. That is a soft landing place indeed.
Gratitude is one of the most deep and yet so simple of self care and spiritual practice there is.
The beauty of life
I know this to be true for me, because when I started my gratitude practice, most people would probably say that I had nothing to be grateful for. About ten years ago, I started a gratitude journal, daily naming at least 5 things I’m grateful for. At the time I had Lyme disease, I could barely sit up or walk and had to get around in a wheelchair. I had no job, barely friends left and I was home alone like 60-70% of the time. Basically I was in quarantine in my own body for about 9 years, until I got better.
Gratitude reconnected me with the beauty of life. A bird in the garden singing its song. The new green leaves on the big tree that looks so majestic. The sky that looked like a painting that changes minute by minute making a new masterpiece.
The smiles and laughter of my little baby new nephews, who just arrived in this world. The joy that they brought to my soul. Little bundles of joy and love. Pure love, the little kiddies. I fell hard.
Talking to my granny on Skype, who was across the world in China, who went to temple to pray for my health. The act of prayer touched and warmed my heart. Someone looking out for me.
My boyfriend (now husband) who wrote me little notes and drew cartoons in the morning so I didn’t have to be alone during the day.
And sometimes it was: hey I had less pain than yesterday. There is always something to appreciate.
Smell the roses
The writing it down and naming it helped me appreciate it so much more. I wouldn’t have noticed a lot of it probably, not this intently. I mean the big moments we tend to remember and focus on more. But I realised so much of life’s beauty and wonder are in the small daily moments.
Moments I never really took time to be with, to stop and smell the roses, and really take it in. And when I was practicing it I started noticing more and more joys, beauty throughout the day. My brain started looking for things to be grateful for.
Before my gratitude journaling I never noticed or looked at the sky. Now it’s one of my favorite things in the world. I even have favorite clouds, sheep clouds. Rows and rows of clouds shaped like cotton balls or ‘sheep’. Oh and I love when the sky turns pink and purple. So WOW! Amazing.
Feel better
Gratitude helps balance out when life feels challenging. It brings me back to myself, my center. And it centers me deeper when it’s smoother sailing. It brings greater emotional stability. For me it is a soft landing place almost always. Whether I start feeling good or bad. I always feel better after doing my gratitudes.
Create a soft place to land
If you want to create a soft landing place for yourself:
To practice GRATITUDE:
Start a gratitude journal:
Write, at least 5 things, daily, what you are grateful for.
Be as specific as you can, that will help you feel and appreciate the moment even more. Writing is highly recommended. It ingrains the habit and emotion of gratitude even deeper.
Alternative: Name out loud, with a friend or partner or to yourself (why not :)?), at least 5 things you’re grateful for.
I do this with my husband. It’s the question I most frequently ask him. When he has a bad day, I may ask it all day long, like 5-10 times, to name me 5 things he’s grateful for. Yes I am that persistent and annoying probably :).
My Gratitudes
What I am grateful for right now:
The sun shining on my face, warming me up. The sun shining on the leaves of the trees. Making the green extra luscious green and bright. The color of spring.
The mellow music a fellow forester is playing. Giving this moment a soundtrack.
The experience of writing in flow, when the words just flow through me and I don’t have to think. The joy of putting pen to paper. It’s so fulfilling and gives so much clarity. Fun.
Endearing moment of a little girl, kid, nearby jumping and playing around. She is jumping from tree trunk to tree trunk with her mommy holding her hand. The joy of the innocence and playfulness of a young child. It’s so irresistibly heartwarming. Beauty.
Knowing when I go home, after my walk, my husband is gonna cook dinner. One of my faves, his mother’s recipe. Hutspot, a Dutch dish of mashed potato, carrots and onions and homemade meatballs and gravy. Delicious.
What are you grateful for right now?
Let your soul shine!
The world needs your light.
Love,
Ann
