I love water…. I love all water…. the ocean is particularly fascinating and complex to watch as the waves change. Water is, at times, peaceful. On the other hand, water can be dangerous as during storms, when waterspouts form. What I would describe as “angry water” is noted during downbursts or microbursts, when squalls or gusts form from sharp shifts in wind direction. I love to visit the waves after a storm.
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Gratitude is contagious! It really is…
As our Gratitude Squared community grows, you are all sharing photos, stories, ideas, and more with me about your “gratitude experiences“, and your involvement is fantastic! Today, Becca spotted this license plate that says “EVR G8FL“. Isn’t that cool?
Now I would ask you all to be careful when you spot something as I don’t want you to have an accident taking photos, following people, and expressing pure joy, especially when driving, but…… How special is this?
Today’s message is “Be EVER GRATEFUL”!
This is #gratitudezero. See the February 28, 2021 posting for a definition of gratitude categories.
Hello. I am a 10 year old dog, from a rescue, with many allergies. Today I had my first beef rib ever! My mom photographed my pleasure with the rib. She only let me chew on it for a bit, in case I get sick.
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When I asked “Siri” “What is the purpose of water”, she replied “The answer I found is nuclear reactor coolant”! I expected something different, like to sustain life etc. But, upon reflection, I think Siri gave me an appropriate reply, as recently the people in Texas experienced freezing temperatures, power loss, and contaminated water.
Even as I write this post today, people are lining up to get packages of water to take their medications, brush their teeth, cook, and more. The situation makes me feel sad. I am sure that although the people of Texas feel gratitude when they receive their water allotment, they are exhausted, fatigued, tired, angry, and saddened at their situation – feelings, after all the time that has passed like a nuclear reaction. Powerful angry, worn out emotions!
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This is my 32nd post on gratitude, and we have learned so much. To the extent to which you want to practice gratitude, I invite you to consider the various pathways from which you may select your “state of gratitude”. I borrow labels for your choices from current soft drinks, political strategists, podcasts, and traditional print literatures.
Gratitude may be expressed at any point along a continuum. In my post “What Money Can’t Buy”, I discussed intentional acts from sporadically grateful to always grateful. Thus, imagine a horizontal line from left to right with little markings (like on a ruler) to indicate your “extent of gratitude”.
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I like to think about gratitude as a “state of being”, but I am searching to learn how to keep myself in that “state” throughout the days and weeks. On tennessean.com I found an opinion piece by Bishop Joseph W. Walker III about gratitude. One particular point he made was:
Add up the things in your life that money cannot buy.
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This morning on the Today Show they featured a woman who had a second face transplant. Her past boyfriend tossed acid on her and burned her face. A terrible story of domestic abuse surviving for anyone. But, not Carmen Tarleton!
She met the donor family of the second face transplant. It was such a joyful event for all, but what impressed me the most was her joy that now she can wear earrings again. And, she can finally wear glasses because now she has ears!
Be grateful for what you have! If Carmen can be happy, so can you!
This is #gratitudelite. See the post on February 28, 2021 for definitions of gratitude categories.
This morning I stood on the pier and watched all the surfers waiting in the water for the perfect wave to catch. They waited a long time, then tried one, and it passed over them. Next one guy tried again. Several guys had a few brief runs. Others sat on their boards in the water, relaxing, watching, and learning about the ocean; looking for the best wave of the day to try again. Apparently, surfers love this process.
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I just watched the movie Nomadland (2020), about a woman living as a van-dwelling modern-day nomad, traveling through the American West after she loses everything in a recession. It was an interesting snapshot with persons I have met, especially during this pandemic. It seems that we are all managing our daily joys and problems, as best we can according to our personalities and temperaments.
I love water. I love the ocean, so when I came across an article on the Big Five personality traits from Wikipedia, known as the OCEAN model, I took a closer look. The model identifies five traits:
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Last year I made a YouTube video titled “Through” on my YouTube Channel, Aspiring through healing to health and wellness, and learned the mighty power of one little word “THROUGH“. I had forgotten about that video until this morning when I came across an article titled, “9 Eye-Opening Ways to Expand Your Empathy and Gratitude” by Chris Holder. Hence, I am reminded of the power of words and when attached to images, change is amazingly possible. Through our words and images, especially on social media today, we motivate others to action.
Dr. Holder describes 9 actions we may each choose to keep us in a “State of Grace”. When I got to his number 4, I paused:
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Gratitude Squared 