Hashtag Grateful

Written by: Melanie Groves; Metamorphosis Healing

There is a chill in the air now. The days are crisp and the colours are vibrant. I marvel at the majesty of the fall foliage. I love it. All the colours of the rainbow can be seen at this time of year. It’s stunning. I noticed this week that the maple in my yard was already turning fiery orange. In fact, I noticed that it was more than halfway there! How did I miss that? Its colour is spectacular. Like an orange fire pasted in the bluest of blue skies. I missed it because I got busy. I missed slowing down to actually see life around me because I was too busy doing.

Thank you maple! You got my attention! The writing challenge this week is to contemplate what I am grateful for. I am grateful for gratitude. Huh, you say? At first glimpse, it would seem redundant. Follow me down the rabbit hole for a minute.

There is a lot of research that supports the benefits of gratitude, you can read one of many summaries here. As far as I am concerned, gratitude is brilliant. It changes your day. It rewires your brain. It makes you happier. It can transform your health. It can literally heal you. So I am grateful to be reminded to be grateful. Every single day.

In order to show gratitude, I must be in the moment. I can’t be grateful, for instance, for my maple if I don’t first stop to notice its splendour splashed in the sky. I can’t be grateful for hugs if I don’t stop to notice the person right next to me in need of one. I miss so many moments if I stay locked in my head, trapped in the rat race of go-go and do-do. And being in the moment is where creation happens.

Huna teaches us, MANAWA: Now is the moment of power. The past is now an illusion, it’s not tangible and you can exert no power to change it, same with the future. So, being in the Now, in the present moment, this is where the magic takes place. Don’t take my word for it, check out Eckart Tolle’s take in his book the Power of Now.

The beauty of gratitude is that it’s easy and accessible for everyone. I don’t need hours of practice and study to master simply saying, “Thank you”. It’s no coincidence that growing up the “magic word” was thank you. It first became ingrained as it was respectful to use it, and later on, I came to realize that it was really magical. To thank another human who has helped me out goes a long way. To be on the receiving end of a truly heartfelt “Thank you,” warms my heart and makes my day. It’s in abundant supply and free for use.

Starting my day with gratitude before my feet hit the floor is easy and requires no special tools except my presence to do so. Ending my day reflecting on the juicy moments can be done lying in bed, again no fancy instruments or formulas, just being in the moment to stop and think, “Wow, I am living a miraculous life”. And on the not so good days, I am simply grateful to have made it through the day, and that’s okay too.

I for one want a magical life, so thank you to gratitude practices. Thank you for allowing me to stop and soak in the present moment. Thank you for allowing me to savour it and be one with its grandeur. Thank you for the lessons that can be seen, the extra hugs to be had, the inspired thoughts that come from simply stopping to be in the moment and being #grateful in the moment.