“There is no lack of things to be grateful for if you remember to pay attention.” – Jen Sincero
November is national gratitude month, which kind of makes sense. Is there another month that kicks off such feelings of wanting to serve others, finding space for forgiveness, giving grace, lending a helping hand, whatever it may be. It may sound odd but November is always the month that brings forth so many of these feelings for us.
Maybe it's the delicious food & drink, family, cozy weather, sweaters, we don’t know for sure what brings out these warm fuzzies, but the holiday season really does bring us to a place in our hearts that can only be described as love, joy, gratitude and wanting to spill it over on everyone we know.
Gratitude itself is such a warm feeling. It’s the feeling of knowing you have more than enough and wanting to give more to others. It’s the realization that blessings are abundant in our world and the desire to pay it forward. You truly can’t feel a negative emotion when you are basking in gratitude. It brings about unmatched happiness and contentment, aside from simply humanizing people around us.
We know firsthand that gratitude can be extremely difficult to draw on when going through difficult times. We’ve been there. We get it. How can you be grateful when a loved one is sick or when you’re experiencing an unspeakable loss? How can you be grateful when your own health is in jeopardy or you're watching some part of your world crumble? How can you feel gratitude when we are in such trying times overall, with so much loss, grief and sadness?
No doubt it is a challenge and at times we MUST let ourselves feel, grieve, just be. But if we’re being completely honest, finding ways to lean into gratitude even when in the depths of our own grief journey's, is so important. These are the times we have to dig deep and when we’re able to its like a breath of air filling your lungs. It can take a day from hard, awful, sad to peaceful, present and joy filled in an instant. There truly are blessings all around us, we sometimes just have to look harder for them than other times and allow ourselves the mental space to relish in them.
Here at MK & Co. we love to start and end our day in gratitude. We have set a habit of writing down 3 things we are grateful for each morning and why. Each night, we round the day out with another 3 things that happened that day that we are grateful for, and why. The why is really important here, because it connects you even deeper to the feelings surrounding the gratitude.
For example, rather than saying, “I am grateful for my family,” you could say, “I am so grateful for my family because each day they greet me with unconditional love and acceptance, this makes me feel safe and deeply loved.” See how much more connected that makes you to the feeling?
Okay, who’s up for trying it!
In honor of this month, we have a fun little challenge for you (and ourselves).
Let’s all think about 3 things in life that feel hard, that maybe irritate us, or just downright bum us out. Then let’s replace that angst with love. With, dare we say.....gratitude!
We can all find at least one reason to be grateful for a pain point in our life (a detailed reason), and feel into the gratitude.
If you’re needing a little push to get there, here’s a fun little mind game we like to read and let sink in.
“Imagine that you had won the following "PRIZE" in a contest. Each morning your bank would have a deposit of $86,400 for your use. However, this prize comes with rules:
- Everything that you don’t spend will be gone the next day.
- You may not simply transfer money into another account, you may only spend it.
- Each morning upon waking, the bank deposits another $86,400 for that day.
- The bank can end the game without warning, at any time it can say "Game Over!" It can close the account and you will not receive a new one or any more deposits.
What would you personally do?
You would buy anything and everything you wanted, right? Not only for yourself, but for all the people you love and care for. Even the people you don't know, because you couldn't possibly spend it all on yourself, right?
Would you try to spend every last penny, and use it all, because you knew you couldn’t save it?
This game is REAL......
Each of us is already a winner of this PRIZE. We just can't seem to see it.
- Each morning we wake to receive 86,400 seconds as a gift of life.
- When we go to sleep at night, any remaining time is NOT credited to us. What we haven't used up that day is forever lost.
- Yesterday is gone.
- Each morning the account is refilled, but the bank can dissolve your account at any time WITHOUT WARNING...So what do you do with your 86,400 seconds?
Those seconds are worth so much more than the same amount in dollars. Think about this and remember to enjoy every second of your life, because time races by so much quicker than you think.
Take care of yourself, choose joy, find gratitude in every moment, be happy, love deeply and dance often!
Never complain about growing old.......Some people don't get the privilege!
Remember you are special! So is your bank account of TIME!”
- Rita Davenport
As mommas this reminds us to say the extra “I love you”, to stop stressing if naptime doesn’t happen, if bedtime is later than planned, stop allowing one hiccup to set the tone for our whole 86,400 seconds of that day.
As mommas with very full plates, working, juggling, just trying to do our best.....this simple game is such a healthy reminder to slow it all down in our heads and embrace every gifted day we have.
We’re so full of gratitude to have you here on this journey with us!
Love,
Mandy & Kalie