Give Me Gratitude

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Here in the United States, November is the month of Thanksgiving. In my opinion, it is a holiday built on irony, deep wounds, and white privilege. But putting the historical context aside, a valuable practice this time of year is bringing attention to thankfulness and gratitude. Honestly, I didn’t want to write about gratitude this month. Yet, here I am doing it. And that’s because as I was preparing to write some thank you notes, I started thinking more deeply about the topic. 

Have you ever received the pre-printed “Thanks for the gift!” note from the newly married couple?

How did it make you feel? I know when I received one that it felt like they were checking the box on the courtesy list. Honestly, I’d rather not even get a thank you note if it isn’t authentic. On the other hand, have you ever received one of those notes that was so heartfelt and authentic it brought tears to your eyes? How did that make you feel? Appreciated, noticed, maybe even thankful that this person is in your life? That’s how I feel when I receive those notes. They don’t have to be long or written with fancy words – just the fact that someone took the time to let you know that what you did or gave was appreciated can be enough.

And then I thought, when was the last time I thanked myself? I hear it in yoga class, I even say it to students in yoga – thank yourself for coming to your mat today. Honestly, it’s only ever been in yoga classes or workshops that I ever hear this suggestion. But do I really thank myself? Do I appreciate, notice, and feel thankful for myself? It’s not a practice we are really taught. In church, it was always about thanking God. Now, it’s a good thing to thank others, thank God if that’s how you believe, or thank the Universe which is my preferred reference.

But why is there rarely a practice taught to thank ourselves?

In the spirit of true thanksgiving, I encourage you to sit down and write a thank you note to YOU. Make gratitude to yourself a part of your daily practice and along the way you will find greater self-love, self-acceptance, and some days cultivate the knowing that your cup truly runneth over. 

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Dear Dawn,

I have so much gratitude to myself for seeking my authentic self. It’s not always an easy road to change, to be real, to be honest – with others and myself. I have continued to show up to the work and am so thankful that I have chosen this path. Being thankful for the gifts in my life – the people, nature, support, and the privilege of life in a free country is its own gift. I am so thankful that I am able to express this gratitude and have the awareness and presence to recognize how I am supported in my life. 

I am also so thankful to myself when I listen, really listen, to my intuition. It can be easy to ignore that inner guide and allow the noise of the outside world to take control of my choices. I keep practicing the tools that I have learned to sharpen my intuition and I am so grateful I do as it guides me to fulfillment. 

I love myself.

I love my flaws, my personality, my physical body all as they are. I choose to not compare myself with others as we all have our own roads to travel, our own lessons to learn. I am so grateful that I have cultivated this practice as I am released from the judgments of others because of this work. 

And finally, I am thankful that I have begun a practice of self-gratitude. It fills me in ways other things do not. Self-gratitude opens me up to greater self-love and self-acceptance and with the removal of self-judgment from my life, I am freer to serve myself and others in their own practices. 

With love and gratitude – Dawn

“my cup runneth over...”

– PSALM 23:5

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