Crafting Gratitude

Though the idea of making a practice of gratitude has been a recent addition to our cultural zeitgeist, its importance as a practice is actually ancient. The Greek and Roman philosophers Epictetus and Marcus Aurelius counseled the practice of gratitude; and exhortations to be thankful are found in the sacred scriptures of every major world religion. Modern science, notably pioneered by Robert Emmons, has borne out the physiological benefits of counting our blessings; not only can it have a beneficial impact on our physical health, but also on our psychological well being. So there are clear, time-tested reasons why making a practice of gratitude can benefit our minds, bodies, and spirit--but even if we know that, it is not always an automatic or easy thing to do.

We live in a fast-paced, demanding world and are constantly assaulted by advertising and other cultural messages that tell us we need more, we need new, we need better. Even if we are aware of the importance of tapping into our gratitude, we easily can be seduced by society’s siren calls of consumerism and envy and not enough-ness. And, even if we manage to stay free of that, we all live involved modern lives that are buzzing and busy, and are constantly overstimulated by technological intrusions that glut us with more data, more news, more ways to get off-track. It’s very hard to stay grateful in this kind of environment, which is why Crafting Gratitude is filled with reminders to stay grateful; we need to remember, on a daily basis, the incredible, overflowing, abundant richness of life.

If you are artistically inclined, or even if you’re not, you will find at least one practice here--there are 40 of them--that will resonate with and prompt you to begin, or continue with, exploring gratitude.