Cultivating Gratitude for Growth
One of the many wonderful things about relocating to Canada is two, I repeat, two Thanksgiving’s. Thanksgiving is easily one of my favorite holidays - not only because of the delicious, warm, nourishing, food, but because it’s allotted time to reflect, to gain perspective, and to relish in the serendipitous nature of the dance that is life.
This {Canadian} Thanksgiving, I spent the beginning of the day hiking in the leaf laden forests of Northern{ish} Ontario. Nature has always been one of the most healing and peaceful, yet evocative environments to me; while hiking, one thing I found myself reflecting on was the gift of growth.
It all started because I was thinking {and maybe said out loud too} damn, it feels SO good to feel strong. I filled my lungs with the cool, autumn air, tuned into my body - into every minuscule muscle - and felt energized, felt sturdy in my body. I felt strong, I felt healthy.
Although I’ve become intentional about expressing gratitude to my body daily, it definitely wasn’t always like this.
Learning to love myself - and my body - has been a life changing transformation and, in the grand scheme, I’ve only just begun the journey. However, one thing I can reflect upon with gratitude is how far I’ve come.
I invite you to take a moment to consider how far you’ve come, how much you’ve learned, how much you’ve you overcome, and how much you’ve grown in the last year/ chapter of your life. Then think about how every experience [both joyful and painful] - every single moment - has conspired to create this version of you.
The future is a bunch of right now’s. Although, like piling sand, one grain at a time, it takes a long time to notice - let alone appreciate - the progress you are making. It feels like you’re wasting your time. It feels like nothing is changing. Then one day, you feel different. Then, the next day, it’s easier to choose that new thought. That new behavior. That new belief. Then the next day, even easier. Until one day, the transformation is not only noticeable but undeniable. Your life is different. You are different.
And, boy, am I thankful for that. Boy, am I thankful for the resiliency of the human spirit. And boy am I thankful for every single moment in my life that paved the path towards healing.
This is when I realize that every thing I’d convinced myself was wrong - all the plans that were ruined, all the heartbreak, all the uncertainty, all the friendships lost - were truly necessary ingredients to alchemize a circumstance in which I CHOSE to seek change. To seek something more peaceful. More resonant.
What If we were thankful for everything that happened in our lives {even the painful, hard to be thankful for in the moment kind of things}? What if we treated every single moment as if we did CHOOSE that exact moment? What if we cut out the middle man - the version of us that is in full opposition to the present moment - and instead, embodied that future version of self. That one on the hike a year from now that is looking back at that hardship, at that intersection of adversity, that cross section of pain with nothing but full body’d acceptance, understanding, and gratitude.
Growth is something a lot of people take for granted. Something a lot of people do not prioritize in their life. So I invite you take a moment, as someone who clearly does (by the simple fact that you are reading this right now), and express gratitude towards yourself for prioritizing growth, for believing in your ability to transform, for taking the time to find out how to most align with your higher self. Happy Thanksgiving Number 1.