gratitude

In the wake of the immense destruction and devastation brought about by Hurricane Helene, a client asked me how can she hold space for the suffering others are enduring while also wanting to enjoy her life.

Realizing what's good in our life doesn't actually come naturally. Seeing what's wrong does. You can thank your brain for that!

This week I had a birthday and while I'm so grateful to be alive and in good health, I also feel so much gratitude for you. Those that give of themselves and make many, many sacrifices to improve animals lives or deaths are what I call unsung heroes. Please allow me to just express a little of what is in my heart. I even have a poem for you and about you. Listen in!

We tend to not notice when we are well until we are sick. We tend to not notice having a full staff of employees until we don't. We tend to not pay much attention to our pet behaving until they misbehave. Ultimately we tend to not pay attention to what's NOT happening in any moment, in other words, the absence of difficulty, challenges and hardship. That is positive absence and it's so worth paying attention to. Let me explain how!

What is upside down gratitude? Well it's something I made up after hearing an interview with Matthew McConnaughey. Upside down gratitude is having gratitude for things that didn't work out well, were challenges or things that didn't at all go how you want. I invite you to explore with me how you might have gratitude for things that seem dark and problematic in your life.

The science is pretty clear. Gratitude is hugely beneficial to your mental, physical, emotional and social health. But it takes an intentional focus on what's good, rather than our brain's default obs