During this pandemic, I’ve been facilitating my 5-year-old nephew, Wyatt’s, schoolwork. Every weekday afternoon, we go through his assignments from school. We also play a math game – UNO is his favorite – read books and try to fit in something really fun if there’s time. Today we played soccer during the only sunny window of the day before a windy rainstorm blew us inside!
Every Monday, there’s a video from called “Mindfulness Mondays” where his guidance counselor shares a tip about how to bring more mindfulness into our everyday lives. Can I just say how amazing this is?! I love that these kids are introduced at such a young age to techniques like focusing on your breath and noticing emotions. That puts Wyatt about 15 years ahead of me, even though he doesn’t always seem that into it. I’m always down to take 30 seconds of silence and notice my breath, especially during fidgety screen educational sessions with sweet, curious, distract-able Wyatt.
Today, the Mindfulness Monday was about gratitude. Scientists confirm that saying three things we’re grateful for each day actually changes our brain. Gratitude is a practice I really enjoy – and also one that’s easy for me to forget about. I see it as closely linked to abundance. When I can express what I’m grateful for, I can more easily see all the things I have in abundance in my life. This is very different from the scarcity mindset that is so prevalent in our culture.
So, today I’m grateful for:
Sunshine
A beautiful, greening outdoor space to exercise in every day
My physical health and the health of my family and friends
(In case you were wondering, Wyatt is grateful for fishing, frogging, and jumping in the river. Not that he’s jumped in the river yet this year….but it’s coming!)
Your turn! What are you grateful for today?