Countdown to Christmas: 12/9/23 — “Exercise Mindful Gratitude”

This year my Countdown to Christmas is a nontraditional Advent Calendar centering (pun intended) on mindfulness.

On the front of each card is neat little picture, and on the back are the instructions for the short meditation.

Today, the 9th Day of Advent … EXERCISE MINDFUL GRATITUDE.

Here are today’s instructions:

In a couple of weeks you may be given presents by your loved ones, things that (on the whole!) you will likely be grateful for. But before that, be alert to the other things in your daily life that, when considered mindfully, make you thankful.

Take a few moments to write down something from the day for which you are grateful. It could be big and obvious thing or something small that you’ve never really considered before. Just be on the lookout for things you appreciate and whatever they are, write a couple of sentences explaining why you are grateful for them.

e.g. I am grateful for my husband who brought me a cup of coffee this morning without me even asking. It made me feel very fortunate that he is in my life and he thinks and cares about me.

e.g. 1 am grateful for where I live, to have a comfortable home in a nice neighbourhood, with hot water and refrigerated food…

Notice how it makes you feel to express your gratitude in words. Consider repeating this task tomorrow, and the day after.

This exercise helps us appreciate things that we often gloss over without giving due gratitude. Writing them instead of simply thinking about them sharpens our focus on the appreciation we feel.