After several stressful and demanding weeks, I had five days ahead of me with no responsibilities except to my dog, who gives as much if not more than he gets. I had a long drive ahead of me, but it was the peak of the autumnal bouquet that filled nearly every moment of the ten-hour drive. Plus, I was headed to my soul’s resting place. Only an hour into my drive I could feel the tension in my bodymind melt away. I actually felt lighter. The spaciousness of the days ahead emptied me of every bit of negativity and in its place — gratitudes.
This was not the practice of recognizing and writing down three things I was grateful for at the end of the day, something I have practiced as a discipline off and on for many years. It was instead much more spontaneous and spirit-filled. Throughout the day the gratitudes simply arose in my being.
The audiobook I was listening to filled me with appreciation for all the people in my former workplace who had done all the unseen work for the decades I had worked there – the ones who did the bookkeeping for my paychecks, my retirement fund, my healthcare; the ones who helped keep my computer running and the heat and lights on; the ones who cleaned the hallways and the classrooms; the ones who plowed the parking lots.
Continue reading “Gratitudes by Beth Bartlett”
