My Attitude to Gratitude: This is what it looks like for me…

From my window, gratitude looks like a piece of bright blue sky, a day full of golden sunshine and a picnic lunch, a plate of buttered toast with real fruit preserve. An hour’s worth of exercise with blood rushing through my veins and oxygen through my lungs, a good book savored sans interruptions, half-a-cup of delicious coffee – strong with just a hint of sugar. My husband coming home after a day of flying.

Gratitude for me is about a day full of peace and joy. A holiday spent with my husband and son, a walk with my dog, a bowl of soup relished in a pool of lamp light. Gratitude is cooking a nourishing meal for my family, watching a movie at home, a snuggle and a cuddle, kind words and laughter.

As I wrap up for the night, having put my son to bed, I lie awake in mine, thinking back on the hours that slipped away as we crossed the threshold of yet another day. Then, I say my version of a Gratitude Prayer. Things that happened in that day that fill me up with the warm glow of gratitude.

Simple stuff. Meals shared as a family. Books read in peace. A chunk of good writing done. An art session with Neel. A workout that tanked me up on energy and endorphins. A painting or doodle I found time to create. The help I receive. A satisfying conversation with friends. The abundance in my life.

Like I said… simple things. The things that our days are made of. The weave of our daily lives.

Staples that are solid and absolutely necessary, but that go unnoticed in the humdrum of the daily.

Moments… those when panned and polished, are gold; but disappear when we let them, in the whirlpool of busyness.

For years, I’ve wanted to start some sort of gratitude practice. Like, jotting down things I’m grateful for, in the pages of my journal. Anointing a day on the blog for gratitude. Starting my own little gratitude movement. None of these happened.

I did try journaling and sometimes, I still do my gratitude practice on the crisp white pages that hide within the covers of my diary.  But like a prayer on our lips, even thinking about what I’m grateful for, each day and every day, is good enough for me now.

Now, in this phase of motherhood, when my days are about schedules and unpredictability, Bugs Bunny smiles and terrible tantrums, commando crawling and page tearing, sloppy kisses and sharp bites.

I’m doing what I can, when I can. A doable goal. I’m creating my attitude to gratitude, one baby step at a time.

What about you?

How do you do your Gratitude Practice? What are you grateful for, today?

Good Afternoon Monday & Hello New Week!

photograph & text: chandana banerjee