G is for Gratitude #AtoZChallenge
I’m doing the A to Z Challenge in April using the theme “What to Pack on Your Creative Journey.” Today, we’ll pack some Gratitude in our metaphorical suitcase.
In ordinary life we hardly realize that we receive a great deal more than we give, and that it is only with gratitude that life becomes rich. ~ Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Letters and Papers from Prison
Gratitude has the super-power to flip negativity into positivity. Pack some gratitude for when you need to:
- Turn a bad mood into a better one
- Move from a scarcity mindset to an appreciation of abundance
- Stop taking things for granted and start being aware and present
Painting by Ford Maddox Brown. This painting tells a story from the first Book of Kings. Elijah had miraculously supplied food for a widow and her son, and is called later to her house, where her son is dying. The widow accuses him of punishing her for her sins. But after a long vigil with the boy, Elijah brings him – still in his funeral shroud – down from the bedroom alive and well. © Victoria and Albert Museum, London
The way your mind works. As Martha Graham said, “There is only one of you in all time, this expression is unique.” (quoted in The Life and Work of Martha Graham by Agnes de Mille, 1991). When you practice gratitude for what happens in your own mind, you train yourself to recognize authenticity.
Your friends. As the Beatles said, “I get by with a little help from my friends.” Say “thank you” or, even, write a note.
The things you see and experience. When we travel, we’re attuned to appreciate the sites and moments. A creative journey has these things, too. Appreciate the moments of flow, the happy accidents that make something better than planned, and the way that disparate pieces fall into place to make a satisfying whole. These things are what make a creative journey worth your while.
What’s helping your creative work today and how can you express gratitude for that?