Gratitude

Last night I met with a group I started on campus called EarthSpeaks. We meet to talk about nature, the Earth, the environment. We meditate, do consciousness exercises, and even dabble in a little art.

I was feeling incredibly frazzled and stretched thin and I wasn't sure I could even make it to the group. I'm glad I went.

First, we walked the labyrinth fellow students created out of rocks on the south side of campus. It was meditative and relaxing for all of us to do this. It was my first time walking a labyrinth, but the experience was calming and restorative and I know I'll be back to the labyrinth much more often now.

Once inside, we created gratitude circles. I passed out pieces of construction paper, and we took crayons and markers and drew a circle. Inside, we wrote or drew what we were grateful for. Afterward, we shared our creations.

My heart was so full after hearing what everyone in the group is grateful for. So many of us were grateful for the people in our lives, both those close to us and those who help make our lives easier, like the people who work at the grocery store or the farmers who raise our food.

I put a lot of people into my circle...my friends and family, the people at school, the people who work at the stores I frequent, the musicians who have made a difference in my life.

I do this exercise every once in a while, especially when I am stressed out, to remind myself of all the blessings surrounding me each day. Sometimes it's as simple as being grateful for my eyes and legs and heart. Other times I am grateful for the air and the sky.

Try making your own circle. See what shows up in there. I find that I can never cram everything I'm grateful for into the circle I create, and I always end up leaving something or someone out. It goes to show just how much there is to be thankful for in life.