The Gratitude Remedy

“If the only prayer you ever say in your entire life is thank you, it will be enough.” (Meister Eckhart)

It’s all too easy to overlook gratitude as we rush from one meeting or holiday party to the next, one obligation to another, or when we find ourselves mired in dispiriting stories of social inequity and political corruption. Gratitude is a quiet emotion and ours is a very loud world.

But gratitude is the perfect prescription for when we are feeling the stresses of daily life and overwhelmed by the magnitude of ills befalling our planet. That’s the time to take a healthy dose of gratitude.

Think about the side-effects of gratitude:

It opens us to abundance. When we see how much there is to be thankful for, we also see how much we have. Instead of feeling that we need to acquire more material possessions, or that we need to be more than we are, we see that we have enough and we are enough. Continue reading

It’s World Kindness Day

Let’s overwhelm the world with our kindness today. And get up tomorrow and do it again.

It’s World Kindness Day. As promised, here are more of my favorite kindness quotes. You can also find a smorgasbord of them on my Resource Page.

Extend some kindnesses today and notice all the kindnesses extended your way.

“Kindness. Easy to do. Easy not to do. Choose the latter, no one will notice. Choose the former and lives may change.” ~Julian Bowers Brown

“When we do what we love, again and again, our life comes to hold the fragrance of that thing.” ~Wayne Muller

“Wherever there is a human being, there is an opportunity for kindness.” ~Seneca Continue reading

World Kindness Day is Wednesday, November 13

There’s a commemorative day, week, or month for nearly everything: iguana awareness, kiwi fruit, be nice to New Jersey, toasted marshmallows (all actual commemoratives). As a rule, I ignore such days, excepting National Ice Cream Cone Day, July 21, because, well . . . ice cream.

One other day I like to observe is coming up soon. World Kindness Day is Wednesday, November 13. Designated as a day on which people worldwide attempt to make the world a better place by celebrating and promoting good deeds and pledging acts of kindness, either as individuals or as organizations.

While I think that should be the goal of every day, since it’s not yet, why not at least celebrate this one day? Mark it on your calendar. Put a reminder on your phone. Start thinking now about how you can spread some kindness in a world where it often seems to be in short supply. Continue reading