Everyday Thanksgiving in October

“No matter who you are, no matter where you are, no matter what your current circumstances, the magic of gratitude will change your entire life.”–Rhonda Byrne

I recently did all the exercises in Rhonda Byrne’s book The Magic, including writing down ten things to be thankful for everyday for 28 days and reading the entire list everyday. By the 28th day the list had 280 sentences and took about 25 minutes to read out loud. This exercise changed my perspective, my thoughts, and my life. After I finished the 28th day, I was relieved and saddened that the 25 minute daily ritual was over. I knew I should continue the practice, but it seemed like a lot of work.

Then I stumbled upon iRuniBreathe’s blog. She listed 5 things to be grateful for on the sidebar of her blog everyday, archived the list daily, and posted them at the end of the month. Truth be told iRuniBreathe got the idea from Writing Ruth.

This is my archive that I will post at the end of the month. Note that some of the things I am grateful for have not happened yet, but I am creating the reality of them happening through gratitude.

I am posting these bits of gratitude not necessarily for others to read, but to offer them to the Universe. Even if you don’t read the list, you might want to start your own gratitude practice. It has changed my life. Everyday is a miracle when seen through the lens of gratitude.

Thank you for Skype to talk to my wife in Bali; this wonderful gratitude side bar borrowed from iRuniBreathe; this calm before the storm of NaMoWriMo;  the wonderful articles I read on freshly pressed; my Australian buddies–Annie and Dianne.

Thank you for  Bee’s safe return from Bali; Dieuinthegrass’s wonderful posting on American Beauty; Writing Ruth’s insightful post on misogyny; Saturday with the boys;  the abundance of love in this house, the blogosphere, and the world.

Thank you for my wife being back by my side;  meditation to calm my monkey mind; metta practice at church;  all the wonderful comments on the blog this week;  the smiles on my kids faces when they get to dress up for Halloween.

Thank you for bodhisattvaintraining  nominating everydaygurus for the Beautiful Blogger Award; all the candy I am stealing from my son’s Halloween pumpkins;  WordPress–I love this place; Australia and Australians; my first Weekly Photo Challenge that I will post today.

Thank you for the safety of all our friends and family in NYC; the compassionate meeting I will have today at 2 pm; all the likes I got on the photo challenge post; the Aloha spirit my Hawaiian grandfather gave me;  parents helping with the boys when we need them.

Thank you for my family’s health; the spiciness that prevented my peanut allergic son from eating a soup that contained peanuts; DPweekly challenge that inspired my new Tibetan post;  the wealth and abundance the Universe continues to share with my family; all the wonderful connections I have made on the internet.

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