Mindfulness & Thankfulness

Material Thankfulness: While cleaning up the house after a long day of toys being scattered, leaves being dragged in and dishes being dirtied, I remind myself how lucky I am to have a home to clean, toys for my children to play with and for beautiful leaves to fall and be tracked into my house. I remind myself that while this is a chore, the things I am tidying-up are ours to be thankful for.

People: Look at the list of text messages in your phone. Hopefully the list is full of the wonderful people in your life that you depend on, that depend on you and those that cherish you. Maybe your teenage son texted you asking where all of his socks are. You could think, “Again? Seriously?”. Or instead you could be thankful to have a person that depends on and loves you. It really is all about mindfulness.

Finances: This is a tough one to be positively mindful about. As humans, we are naturally inclined to not be content until we have abundance. Since this year has been especially hard, financially, for so many, try not to dwell on what you do not have. Instead, think of what you do have. Try to be thankful for the job you may not like. If you have been laid off, try to be thankful for government assistance many in society are receiving. Be thankful for the food banks that have helped so many put food on the table. Think of all the good that we have seen and how we have helped each other through such a wild, trying time in history.

That said, being mindful of the things we do have, instead of dwelling on the things we do not have, can be challenging for the most mindful of us.

Thankfulness for Adults: