What Are YOU Grateful for Today?
Posted on August 2, 2015 16 Comments
Photo by Brian Payne
“. . . Gratitude is happiness doubled by wonder.” G. K. Chesterton
Today I am grateful for –
- being filled with the joy of sharing another year of life with my loving husband
- celebrating the birth of a new nephew
- gazing on clear blue skies over a placid bay with eagles and planes flying free
Please share what you are grateful for today.
Your One Super Power Subdues All
Posted on July 26, 2015 5 Comments
Begin your Gratitude Practice Today
Gratitude overcomes pain, despair, grief, depression, poverty, and heartache.
You can wake up feeling as if your life has no purpose or meaning. But, you look out upon a clear blue sky, gaze on fields of colorful flowers, watch eagles glide on wind waves. Thank you flows from your heart, through your mind, and spills as a smile upon your face.
Like a healing balm, simple recognition of gratitude opens you to a world of possibilities and solutions to any and every problem that may arise.
When I declared 2015 a year of gratitude, my heart was filled with a sense of abundance and limitless potential. Now, two-thirds of the way into this year, the feeling remains. I may be over-extended with my spending and I haven’t yet achieved that bountiful on-line business promised by too many on-line courses.
Still, I’m grateful I have a job to pay for my spending. I’m grateful I do help people through my work and my writing. I’m grateful I can look out on a beautiful bay and snow-capped mountains. I’m grateful for my husband and the love we share.
One of the results of this year of gratitude was the creation of The Gratitude 100, A Simple Daily Practice for Fulfillment, Balance, and Happiness. I offered this as a free daily practice for several months. Participants received daily e-mails with a question to stimulate a gratitude response.
Over twenty people signed up and participated. But, as I did the practice, I found the daily e-mails were problematic. Several people were unable to keep up with the daily practice. Others, like me, found ourselves answering several questions on one day. But, we completed it.
To make the practice more accessible, I expanded it as a downloadable journal with 100 gratitude inspiring questions and space to write answers at your own leisure and need. When I finished this second version, I thought the Gratitude 100 project was finished.
But, as I’ve worked on my book about mindfulness, gratitude features as the essential partner in a dance of consciousness. Gratitude 100 continues to call out to expand into a daily journal book. Especially since I’ve found there’s a world of interest in practicing gratitude.
Over the past two weeks, I’ve participated in the Chopra Center’s Manifesting Grace through Gratitude, a 21 day on-line meditation experience. Oprah Winfrey introduces the theme of each 20 minute session. Deepak Chopra explains the theme in relation to grace and gratitude, provides a centering thought, and a Sanskrit mantra to repeat during the 10 minute meditation. Soft music plays throughout the session.
The commentary and meditations are thought provoking and provide another way to view the power of gratitude. This experience is free to participate in now but access to each meditation disappears after nine days. After that time, the program is available as a paid program by CD or as an app.
So, if you want to energize your super power gratitude practice with a deeper understanding of grace, you can still join Manifesting Grace through Gratitude.
Or if you want to simply apply gratitude in your daily life, explore The Gratitude 100 right now.
Wonder Haiku 126
Posted on July 23, 2015 Leave a Comment
Snake River at Shoshone Falls, Idaho Photo by Skywalker Payne
Wonder Haiku 125
Posted on July 21, 2015 4 Comments
Soriba Fofana drummer. Skywalker Payne dancer. Photo by Brian Payne
Life in Alaska – Two Year Reflections – No. 1
Posted on July 19, 2015 14 Comments
Yesterday, July 18th, was our second year anniversary of living in Homer, Alaska. I’ve shared some of our experiences in past blogs. But, since I’ve been on a minor hiatus of posting, I felt this would be a good way to return to consistent communication. Every now and then, I’ll share reflections written during our first few months acclimating to Homer. Join me in this journey down memory lane.
07/21/2013
I’m sitting on the floor on top of our thin mats and sleeping bags in our new tiny bedroom. Although this apartment is much smaller than our Hopi home and requires storing more furniture than we originally planned, it has a charm both of us like. It does feel like home. I meditated a brief time this morning and quickly heard the sound of silence.
We do love Homer, people are friendly, the arts community is welcoming. Met the executive director of the Homer Arts Council yesterday at the Street Art Fair. She didn’t introduce herself as we talked, but told me to call her if I wanted to story tell and gave me her card. The Council has a new Artist Registry, she told us to sign up. The art work, knitting, jewelry, egg carvings, tie-dyes in the Street Art Fair booths were all well done and some quite exquisite.
Grocery shopping is a challenge. Food costs almost twice what we paid in Arizona, and the fruit not as good looking. But, I did get a bag of cherries, some juice, frozen vegies and fish.
Went by the Department of Motor Vehicles and found out I have to take a written test, so I’m reading the book. It’s really a good review, although a lot of drivers don’t follow the rules.
I’m so happy to be off the highways, the curves were killing me, particularly descending curves. The drive from Anchorage to Homer was interesting. It included a long 50 mile drive weaving around a body of water called Turnagain Arm, a narrow branch of Cook Inlet.
I do feel we are at home. Work may be a challenge, but I think it will be o.k., once our bodies get adjusted to this new climate and these daylight nights.
I’m grateful to be here.
Skywalker Storyteller Works 