Stories of Kindness from Around the World

It's Graturday. Yep, that's right. It’s a real word. Lol. I have been meaning to share this practice, with permission of the originator. I learned it up in a closed chronic illness support group. With so much on our plates as humans dealing with current events, the addition of one or more chronic physical and/or mental illnesses to the mix can make it a bit [or a lot] overwhelming. Then we tend forget the good that happens amidst all the losses, pain and just trying to survive. The joy points as my coach calls them. The simple things we often take for granted. Clean water, shelter, electricity, the beauty of nature. Kate would start on Friday night in Australia. To put it politely it has been a crazy, nightmarish few months in my world. Some days I literally must force myself to find a joy point or feel gratitude/appreciation for much of anything. So today I am grateful for: a heated hummingbird feeder that keeps my little friends coming to see me; a compassionate health care team; a new class on Acceptance and Commitment Therapy for depression; all the basic necessities of life, as we are finally going to see temps around freezing with possible snow in the city [while the lilac has buds on it!?]; the values clarification homework that forced me to rethink what I was prioritizing after I totally lost my cool and became reactive and lost sight of my boundaries instead showing loving kindness and empathy; doing multiple ROAKs in response to my behavior, I felt much better afterwards; asking for and receiving a big hug from one of the clerks at Trader Joe’s, then telling her boss how amazing she is; and embracing “No” as a complete sentence when said with care and concern. Doesn’t even need an explanation. And the support you all show me even when I am not around very much. A thousand thank yous are not enough dear Kindspring family. You are my tribe and I love you. What are you grateful for this weekend?