Sterling K. Brown
"Always have an attitude of gratitude."
John F. Kennedy
“As we express our gratitude, we must never forget that the highest appreciation is not to utter words, but to live by them.”
Lauryn Hill
"Everything we do should be a result of our gratitude for what God has done for us."
Joe Dispenza "Gratitude is the ultimate state of receivership."
Maya Angelou
“This is a wonderful day. I have never seen this one before.”
108 things to be grateful for as we fast approach the end of 2023. So as a bit of twist to the typical new years resolution, I feel compelled to feel gratitude for what I already have. To spend the last few days of the year looking back at 2023 and viscerally feel thankful, grateful and in awe of what I do have in my life. Just to be grateful, as a simple act of being present and conscious of the beauty around me. For me surrender and gratitude almost go hand in hand, finding a silver lining behind even the not so great things life has offered up enables surrender and in surrender is the greatest opportunity for growth.
This has been harder than I thought it would be and opened my eyes to the fact that my gratitude skills need to be upped. I need to be more grateful for all the things we take for granted and for the smallest things that bring us happiness that we tend to overlook.
I have included things from my life in general and some things from 2023 as a catch all for GRATITUDE!
What would your list look like?? Ralph Waldo Emerson
“I awoke this morning with devout thanksgiving for my friends, the old and the new.” So here goes:
Family and Environment 1 - 22
My Parents - Mum and Dad without whom I would not even be here! For the life experience they share and the steady presence for me, my siblings and my children.
My Guru's - Teachers seen and unseen who have guided me all my life whether I am aware of them or not.
My Deities - The Spiritual Divine Beings who guide me daily.
My Husband - My biggest support and biggest trigger - teaching me every single day how to surrender, teaching me patience and emotional fearlessness.
My Children - My highest achievement and greatest joy, everything I do is for them. I am so loving watching them navigate life especially in these times - priceless gift to me.
My Siblings - For our similarities and differences and all the love and quarrels, laughter and sharing and caring and memories that we have created together as children, teens, adults and parents.
My Sister-in-laws - For the joy you bring to my brothers and my nephews that I have and more nieces and nephews to come.
My Extended Family, aunts uncles cousins who make celebrations and events, get togethers and parties 10 x more fun. Be they in this country or others.
My Friends - Sisters from other misters and brothers from other mothers, life long connections made this year or friends made for a reason or season or lifetime. I value you all. Soul sisters especially - You know who you are...
My Neighbours - For the countless 'Good Mornings!' and 'How are you's?' To the Easter Eggs and Christmas gifts.
My Work Colleagues - Who make an otherwise tedious role fun, for the banter and the daily belly laughs.
My Country of birth - UK to be more specific LONDON - OMG do I need to say more - London on a hot summer night after work, or a cold crisp dark winter morning - best place in the world to live.
My Parents' countries of origin - for the immense spiritual giant that is India.
My House - My house is special, it is super warm when we come in winter, and cool during the summer months. I love my house, our small garden and trees.
My Trees - Even the one that fell down in the middle of the night and just missed our house - very sad.
Plants and Trees in general - esp the 2 that I would drive past just to see them, they were subsequently chopped down...They bought so much joy.
Running Water - Clean fresh water that I can drink and shower in available daily.
Central Heating - Keeps my house and water hot when my family and I need it most.
Fridge and Freezer - Stores food for us for when we want it.
Warm Cosy Bed - To rest my weary bones in each night.
Cooking facilities - I can cook whenever and whatever I want so grateful for this simple facility that many around the world just do not have.
Entertainment/Technology - Available on tap wherever I am in my house or out I can watch something or listen to music or meditate in the peace and safety of my house.
Willie Nelson
“When I started counting my blessings, my whole life turned around."
The World Around Me 23 - 44
23. Healthcare - Hospitals and GP services a stones throw away from where I live
24. Food - All the food I could ever need, fresh fruit and vegetables, processed junk, takeaways, restaurants, deliveries and CHOCOLATE for Grounding of course!
25. Music - If music be the food of love play on, all sorts of music, I love so many genres and music so lights me up thank you, thank you, thank you xxxxx
26. Clothes - Coats dresses, shoes, FLIP FLOPS, how lucky am I that I get to choose what to wear and when, I am not limited by finances or dogma in how I dress.
27. Books - Books that you can touch and feel - I look forward to having a floor to ceiling library with a fire place and lots of natural light.
28. Journals and Pens and Pencils - Writing my new version of me, daily morning pages to de-charge emotions with beautiful pens and mechanical pencils, yes bit sad I know.
29. Blue Skies - The deep blue type brings so much peace. Breathing it in and out.
30. Stars in the sky - The twinkling and sparkling connecting us to a Divinity beyond our knowing.
31. Brilliant Sun - Shining, sparkling on the waves, on my back, on my face with a deep blue sky.
32. The Holidays - The holidays I have had this week with family immediate and extended.
33. The Retreats - The retreats in the UK and abroad that I have been on this year.
34. Meditations - The meditations I do each day, in a group or free floating meditation.
35. Support - The group support in attending and hosting meditations.
36. Training - The training that I did for heart math (heart coherence)
37. Vedic Meditation Teacher Training - Slowly but surely working through this programme.
38. My Year Long Course - This Time Next Year participants - What a great group.
39. Jewellery - All sorts makes a girls heart sing.
40. Make up - lipstick, mascara, eyeshadow, eyeliner, foundation - a lifesaver!
41. Perfume - Who doesn't like to smell nice?
42. My Car - Big ones to take me and my family around with ease.
43. My Job - So grateful for the regular income and flexible nature of my job.
44. My husbands business - gives us the flexibility as a family to always be around for our children.
Melody Beattie
“Gratitude turns what we have into enough, and more. It turns denial into acceptance, chaos into order, confusion into clarity...it makes sense of our past, brings peace for today, and creates a vision for tomorrow.”
The Big Things 45 - 67
45. Planes - For the holidays and family time that this has enabled over the years.
46. The Cinema - Popcorn and coffee, comfy seats and nachos!
47. Swimming Pools - For all the memories I have with my children.
48. Center Parks - Again for all the memories of holidays with my children
49. Downtime - Between Christmas and New Year - Thank you for the break!
50. Coffee Shops - Everywhere, in hospitals, airports, shopping centres, cinemas xxxx
51. Seat belts - Safety before fun..
52. Shopping Malls -
53. Bikes - Memories with my children.
54. Air Conditioning - In the car, offices, buildings.
55. Book Club - Next level understanding with like minded beautiful souls.
56. Being a parent to the most beautiful gorgeous souls in the world.
57. Ships - For the cruise holiday we had taking us to several countries.
58. Bollywood for all the great musical movies they release each year.
59. Hollywood for the movies they release each year.
60. Musicians for all the beautiful material they produce each year.
61. My daughter singing in choir, which takes her to concerts all over.
62. School trips and activities that make my children happy.
63. Christmas Lights - Who doesn't like these
64. Diamond - Are a girls best friend
65. The Serengeti - Bucket list but so grateful the beauty of nature
66. Japanese Architecture and Cherry Blossoms - Visually stunning!
67. Wonders of the world, new ones and ancient.
Marcus Tullius Cicero
“Gratitude is not only the greatest of virtues, but the parent of all others.”
The Small Things 68 - 90
68. My everyday very basic coffee with oat milk.
69. Nail polish - All the colours.
70. Shower gels - Giving holiday vibes with certain products.
71. Daily triggers - That give me the opportunity to surrender even further.
72. Short trip to work and back home.
73. Spicy food - really can't do bland food.
74. Diet Coke - My poison of choice.
75. Traffic - Gives me the opportunity to listen to more music.
76. Cold Showers - getting there, luke warm at the moment.
77. Balloons with Helium - hours of fun.
78. Fireworks - For Diwali or Guy Fawkes or NYE.
79. Laptops and phones - Where would we be without these.
80. Cheese - Nom nom nom - Extra Mature Cheddar - if you must know.
81. You tube Shorts.
82. Hair clips and ties.
83. Soft fluffy carpets.
84. Aromatherapy and essential oils - That Spa smell.
85. Cold drinking water on a hot day.
86. Happy dogs with wagging tails, cats sorry God not so much ;o) 87. Soft pillows and heavy duvets.
88. A cool breeze on a hot day.
89. The London Underground !
90. Incense several times a day to show gratitude and be conscious of the presence of Grace all around me all the time.
Charles Dickens
"Reflect upon your present blessings, of which every man has plenty; not on your past misfortunes, of which all men have some."
The Best of 2023 91 - 108
91. My Children being safe this year, where there has been violence near their school.
92. Watching my girls grow in confidence and character in a tough environment.
93. Being able to take my children to a personal development course with me.
94. Being able to attend a retreat this year.
95. The 3 holidays I have had this year. Wow so grateful for this.
96. Having our flights cancelled and having to make our own way back home - led to a great and unplanned adventure in Portugal.
97. Setting up a healing group and being able to work with healers and healees.
98. Getting my contract extended several times over with a great team.
99. My job being 15mins away from home and being so flexible with working at home.
100. Supplements and health hacks that have supported family health.
101. The school trips my children have been on that has bought them so much joy and confidence.
102. Finding some amazing podcasts-youtube hosts that have helped to deepen my understanding of my culture and spiritual heritage, amazing sources for growth.
103. Freedom Concert: With Mei Lan and Ali Pervez OMG next level amazing tears from start to finish.
104. Amazing friends made and met in person at Marco Island Retreat.
105. Learning Mantras in a way that I have never before.
106. Having some amazing connections with Shiva Bhakts (devotees) - next level - including some synchronicities around Shiva that left me speechless.
107. Learning technology and social media to create amazing spiritual communities.
108. Blessed connection for an amazing project that I am working on with a Shiva Devotee.
Meister Eckhart
“If the only prayer you said was thank you, that would be enough.”
x Thank You - Thank You - Thank You x