"Gratitude paints little smiley faces on everything it touches."
Expressing gratitude seems like one of the easiest and simplest displays of kindness toward others and ourselves. The magic of being more thankful throughout my day is that it makes it a lot tougher for me to slip into a negative mood. My attitude does not allow for me to go around being all grumpy and mad at the world when I prefer to live on the bright side of life, especially during tough times. It starts and ends with gratitude.
I have done plenty of learning and growing throughout my life. Some of the toughest days and darkest nights I have had are the ones I can look back on and say I grew from. I learned how to slay my inner-demons that sought to sabotage my relationships with others and most detrimentally my relationship with myself. I had to take a really hard look at myself and did not like what I found in the form of anger, contempt and despair. It was ugly at first, but as I processed why I was mistreating myself and others I struck Spiritual gold by reconnecting with my heart and experiencing unconditional love from the Universe. I found that in the Silence.
This is when I truly understood the power of gratitude and it's ability to heal even the deepest wounds we hold in our hearts. It may sound contradictory to be grateful for experiencing so much pain from my darkest moments. But that's the stuff I learned the most from. That's how I healed the deepest emotional wounds inside me. How could I not be thankful for those tough experiences that helped me grow as a person? I guess it's a matter of perspective, but for me it's a matter of fact.
Shadow work helped me shift from being negative toward myself and others to being more kind to myself and others. I am grateful for the continuing experience of checking in with my feelings and getting to the root so I can pull out whatever may be festering inside me. It's like tending to my own garden with extra loving care. Oh, and tons of gratitude!
More Wellness!
