DAY 610

with gratitude

As this year comes to an end, I start to feel the need to review what it has given to  me, what I have learnt, what I have lost or accepted. However, as usual, my first step will be acknowledging what I am thankful for ... and there is not a  better day than today to begin to count my blessings, my little epiphanies, the small (or big) miracles that continue to occur in my life and the countless gifts.

I didn't grow up with this tradition of sharing what makes me feel gratitude although it is part of our Christian culture giving thanks to God for the good (and not so good) things, but this healing journey has made me embrace the idea of honoring my life through gratitude all year round and also in predetermined dates.

So here I am, ready for my own, personal, thanksgiving. No turkey or any other celebration, just this simple post as expression of gratitude.  To be honest, at this precise moment I have a huge list of things which I am grateful for, but if I had to mention just a few, I would choose the following:

- I am grateful for the person I have become. Sometimes, wind didn't seem to be blowing in the right direccion, but I have managed to arrive to a safe port where I can be the person I always knew I was aimed at being. This year I feel  this to be true more than ever before, and also I have the strong conviction that I am finally shinning with my own light

- I am grateful for my determination to be who I am, and for all the things that have come to meet me along 2016: for the clarity, the will, the boundaries and the authenticity, for my roots and my wings

- I am grateful for the incredible support that I have received from persons that I didn't even know a few years ago and now I call friends. It has made me realize the importance of what I have to offer to this world. And I am also thankful for all the persons (friends or not)  that along this year have reached me to whisper some way or another, "you are good enough"

- I am grateful for having listened my own inner voice and for defending my criteria in so many areas of my life along this year, either the professional life, the way I teach my student, my options at university or the decisions I have made regarding my mother's welfare, my relatioships, my creativity or my personal growing. I know this has helped me to build the life I truly want, that which made sense to my true essence

- I am grateful for this precious life of mine, because even with its ups and down, it is interesting and filled with love, kindness and dreams, and because I now feel that I have learnt to trust it fully

- And last -but not least- I am grateful for this tiny spot in the universe. And for all you.

Much Love dear friends and Happy Thanksgiving to those who celebrate it,


Z. 

DAY 555

blessed

When I first started to look for answers I explored many paths but after some time, I started to came across the same ideas and advices repeatedly no matter where I searched for. I found out that the rudiments of any rewarding life were: forgiveness, gratitude, acceptance, kindness (to ourselves and others), attention and compassion. Retrospectively, I can see that the recurrence of those words marked the beginning of my journey.

According to my readings, those six words compiled the essential elements that any person would need to experience a new vision of his or her existence, of its sacred meaning. They would allow me to awake to the real sense of life by feeling connected to something bigger than me and recovering my sense of belonging. Those six words would help me to heal.

I was so exhausted, lost and in need of guidance that I was ready to try almost anything, (indeed the way I felt was the prime reason of my hunt) but it happened that those words resonated deeply with me.

Time has proved my intuition to be true. Those words have been my keys to unlock all the beauty that now is present in my life and to liberate my soul.

I have been exploring them in the same order just like I have written them here. And even when now they are not single threads anymore, but form a sort of weave, firstly I learnt about them and tried to internalize their basic lessons one by one. I didn´t decide this ahead, it just happened thanks to the way my inner work was developing, as if a secret (or higher) plan already existed… I just followed the sings: the title of a book here and there, a new author mentioned somewhere, a site that caught my attention, a phrase on an article which was otherwise useless, an advice of a friend or just a loose word that seems significant.

Obviously, their meaning has become much deeper as they have been woven together along my own journey but each word alone contains multiple connotations and a complexity that make it quite interesting although not easily approachable.

Of course, I am still dealing with them as a whole and individually and I am also adding new words to the list. This is still a work in progress and I think it will be a long life process but I am seeing great advances. I cannot believe how much I have changed and progressed since I started. I cannot believe the sense of peace and serenity that now goes with me everywhere. I cannot believe how happy I am now with myself for not a particular reason, just for being me. I cannot believe how much I enjoy life now. How much I can appreciate and celebrate.

I have found a way of living that suits my inner yearnings, that is enriching, nourishing, makes me feel happy, healed, while it allows me to realize my own potential. And that, dear friends, is priceless.


PS: In November I´ll be celebrating gratitude. I´ll post a weekly post on my gratitude page and will share with you all the things I am grateful for, but I wanted to start the series honoring my own process in particular, all the things I have learned thanks to this blog and by sharing with you my thoughts. Thanks so much!

DAY 39

the thankfulness path

The month of gratitude has ended and the final assessment couldn´t be more positive. Here are some of the things I´ve realized:

gratitude is an attitude, but can be also a daily practice

gratitude is gift,  but can be also an option

gratitude is an spontaneous reaction, but can be also a way of living

gratitude is a feeling, but can be also an ethic value

gratitude is a rash act, but can be also an empowerment tool

In sort, gratitude is a possibility, a miracle, but is also a need. Therefore, gratitude must be cultivated, it must be conciously and intentionally communicated and things that make us feel grateful must become evident, visible... and not only from time to time, but every single day.

DAY 36

gifts of gratitude

This month I´ve been focusing on gratitude here and here

I´ve been thinking about it, taking photos to illustrate my thoughts and also trying to act gratefully every single day

This is one of the photos I´ve taken and it has been featured on Shutter Sisters Blog, as part of the one word project, because the word for November is thankful

I feel so happy, not only because this is a great honor, but because this photo means a lot to me. It celebrates my mom´s presence in my life and how mutual gratitude has enriched our relationship

 And also, because, somehow, this proves what I´ve been saying since the beginning of this journey: when you act gratefully, life becomes sweeter.

DAY 31

goals for achieving gratitude

1º Just for today: I will try to keep under control perfectionism and self-demanding attitudes

2º Just for today: I will look at the world (and myself) with benevolent eyes

3º Just for today: I will pay attention to beauty in me and around me

4º Just for today: I will feed curiosity and let go expectations about how world and people must be

5º Just for today: I will find reasons to stay joyful and I won´t judge universe. I just will give thanks


Today, that´s enough

DAY 15

how to be grateful

Stop

look around you

see all the things (either big or tiny) that enrich your life

don´t be trapped on a stereotyped idea of what is important and what is not: everything counts!

accept that the ordinary can be extraordinary

don´t expect miracles to happen... go and look for miraculous events that usually go unnoticed

find treasures and beauty even where other people only see trash or ugliness

be open, search, stay watchful and cultivate amazement

explore your talents and gifts and get in touch with your exquisite inner self from whom every act of gratitude comes from

don´t look only for results, focus also on process and lessons

appreciate the beautiful uniqueness of your experiences

And say thanks every single day of your life... as a mantra, as a prayer, as a song, as a promise, as a wail, as a praise...

DAY 14

November month of gratitude

These days I´ve been working in this project, which involves taking a least one photo a day in order to show gratitude. This is making me think how very important gratitude has been along my life. Once I started to say thanks instead of questioning my experiences, my whole life changed

Feeling thankful, not only for good things, nice events or the accomplishment of our purposes (which not doubt is the first step), but also for things that are not as we expected is not easy. We tend to feel gratitude when everything goes as planned but not when our wishes are frustrated. However, my experience tells me that if we patiently learn to say thanks regardless events or circumstances, our heart will be filled with joy. Obviously, this is a great challenge but it releases an amazing healing power

The first time I heard this thought I felt deeply offended: why on earth should I be grateful for something unpleasant?... but little by little (after seeking for happiness in vain) I started to understand the inner logical of this idea. It doesn´t mean one has to be happy with suffering, means one has to look for something to be grateful for even in moments of pain and sorrow. And also means one can feel grateful not only for the things themselves, but for learning and change too. Once I understood it, gratitude shown itself to be much easier than I thought

It´s all about saying thanks for any single, tiny, blessing (like this beautiful, delicious mandarin) instead of complaining about wrong things (even when they are indeed wrong)

Gratefulness has led me to my true path (when I let it do it) because it connected me with the natural flow of life. Through gratefulness I´ve cultivated acceptation, let go resistance and attachment and bowed down to my destiny. And last, but not least, I have learnt to focus on positive side of things

DAY 10

today I'm thankful for every gift I've found along my path

things as: beauty around me, tiny happy coincidences, those learnings that have been hard and today I appreciate so very much and a sort of guidance that has made me find the way back to my inner self