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Finding Gratitude Everywhere

Group of people outside

As we emerge from the stress of the pandemic, I feel my spirits lift in ways that I didn’t think possible. I have always had an affinity for the Centering Skill of Finding Gratitude, and now it is even more of a constant companion. So many things that I used to take for granted–like grocery shopping without fear, and walking down the street with an unencumbered face–I now add to my gratitude bucket. I have also gained a newfound sense of awe and gratitude for the power of human connection. Even a simple connection, like I experienced in mid June when all these strangers stopped to talk as I hiked, fills me with gratitude. After a casual dinner with friends a week later, I realized how much nicer it felt to talk with someone only three feet apart instead of six; the intimacy is just that much greater. Over the Fourth of July, I got to spend time with family in person, with no masks. What a wonderful thing! It almost seemed magical, too good to be true.  

While Finding Gratitude can help make formerly “mundane” events fabulous, it is even more powerful during challenging times. For even as the world has opened up, life keeps on happening. My colleagues have experienced some big health scares in the last few months, including emergency surgery and a heart attack. One suffered the unexpected loss of a parent. Sadness and stress are a real part of life and can waylay us. That is where Finding Gratitude becomes a superpower. While it can never take away stressful situations, it can help us put them in context, so we have a strong foundation to help us hold them. Yes, our team has been much diminished recently and those remaining have had to pick up the pieces. But Finding Gratitude helps me be so grateful that I work with such amazing people in the first place, and that we get to do such transformative work together. None of us ever know where our journey will take us, but we know that the road will have twists and turns. Finding Gratitude is my guardrail, keeping me joyful along the way. 

With gratitude for you and your support of our work, 

Meri

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