I have been posting for eleven (11) months now, 160 posts to date, as I walk and discover my own pathway to gratitude so I want to pause and reflect upon the meanings beneath my messages to you. First, living in a State of Gratitude is not always easy and takes being in a State of Mindfulness I would say.

I prefer to be mindful when I blog about gratitude. Intellectually, it feels the best!

On days when I don’t have much time or energy I post quick, joyful messages about moments with my dog or with food, etc. I call those posts #gratitudezero.

When I have a bit more time, and read a bit, and/or have conversations with others regarding gratitude, I post messages that I label #gratitudelite. Those posts are a bit deeper, but still fleeting, quick, and easy to feel happiness, joy, gratefulness, and a moment of reflection at best. #Gratitudelites also may include moments with family members, songs, and favorite poems.

On days like today, I post narratives I call #gratitudeultra. These posts will lead you deeper into the subject of Gratitude, and will expect that you examine your own roots, your belief systems, your cultural biases, your personalities, your viewpoints about your life as well as others, and your spiritual underpinnings.

Becoming self-aware and awakened to who you have become as an adult, and what you expect from yourself and others, as well as the interaction and interplays between the two helps you walk your pathway.

Another way to seeking a deeper understanding is to ask yourself

the critical questions:

Am I joyful today? Where does my joy emerge from? What have I done to help others today? Have I been kind and patient and understanding with everyone throughout this day? Have I offered assistance to others today that touches their souls in meaningful ways, without thought for any benefit back to me? Am I at peace today? Do I feel calm and happy now? Have I observed a grateful act or selfless gesture today?

How does one get to this deeper State of Gratitude?

Let’s review what we have learned thus far in gratitudesquared.com:

On Feb. 6, 2021, I noted that we all feel the emotion of Gratitude that feels more or less the same, but the sources of those feelings may come from vastly different causes, or stimulations, or events in our lives because we are all different people.

So, where do these feelings originate within us? On Feb. 7, 2021, I posted a message that made reference to Our Gratitude Stream: Gratitude is an emotion of thankfulness that makes us feel good. These feelings have been described as our “moral virtues” often taught to us by our parents, or teachers, or ministers/priests/rabbis. These virtues are linked to our belief systems, our value-based foundations.

How does one find gratitude? On Feb. 12, 202, I posted two parts of gratitude that develop in our lives: an affirmation of goodness in our own life based on life experiences, as well as identification of sources of such goodness that is outside of ourselves and helps us achieve goodness. Our moral virtues interact with our brains and outside stimuli to help us bond with others, and to help us interact and understand issues pertaining to, for example, social justice, empathy for others and so forth.

On Feb. 17, 2021, I recommended that one might want to form “Gratitude Circles” with friends and others to share moments of Gratitude with each other. It has been wonderful for so many of you to share your experiences with gratitude with me. As we share and support each other our bonds and interactions are strengthened, as is our understanding and walk continued down the path to the State of Gratitude.

On July 29, 2021, I summarized how one benefits from staying in a State of Gratitude. In other words, since it is hard to practice Gratitude, WHY do it? Ten different benefits were listed.

In summation, obviously I believe in walking in Gratitude. Through my postings I am mapping my walk with you:

• The emotions of Gratitude
• The origins of Gratitude
• The parts of Gratitude
• Supporting each other to live in Gratitude
• The benefits of Gratitude

It would take a book, not a posting to summarize all that I have learned during these eleven months, so I will break such into various parts and sprinkle my new knowledge bit by bit to those of you who may be interested. But I want to end this posting by saying that there are few walks in life that are as enjoyable as is a “Gratitude Walk”.

I am so grateful for Gratitude in my life. I hope you will experience the same in yours.

#gratitudeultra