Gratitudes: Exemplars Everywhere

Seanan has maintained a Gratitude practice for years now, shining a spotlight on the big and small things that make life tolerable, valuable, and meaningful. There are many ways to distill gratitude, and we hope that reading these will help spark your own gratitude.

I shall start the new year with a gig

Every breath, a new beginning

I am part of my sangha’s support group, which exists to bolster members in times of need

Courage to recognising where there is harm; the patience, perception, and determination to bring good change

Opening space within myself; the small astonishment at how this appears to happen with no effort on my part

Sitting in a circle, being with the feelings (mine and others’) for and about a member who died, and all of the ripples that widen from that stone

Here, there is love

The way paths cross and part and join again

The sharing of stories about those paths

Redemption, in this frail and fleeting life

Wounded healers and their heart-lit paths

All who take risks to offer apology, initiate restoration, help others, get through one more hour, and move themselves and/or others toward healing

The cleverness and depth of other species

Unsought benefits of practice

Bravery and wisdom, mustered to face fears

Exemplars everywhere, revealing paths to tread and to avoid