Everyday Thanksgiving

“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.

 

June 2014

Thank you for water gun fights in the kiddie pool; hot dogs for kid’s birthday parties; plastic nunchakus; flavorful watermelon; icees.

Thank you for Conversations with Compassion with Amma; the woman from Colombia who gave me almonds at the Amma event; Arthur Chu agreeing to an interview; Oliver offering his house for the men’s group; being asked to run a workshop at Bonfire Heights.

Thank you for Jett and Fox hugging each other and friends; the wisdom of Graham Phoenix and
Steve Harper; Leigh Plummer refering to me as the “guy who lives and breathes compassion”; Daiso dollar stores; learning how to manage social media without going crazy.

Thank you for The Greater Good Gratitude Summit; the safety of my sons after 3 weeks of shootings; everyone at Interchange Counseling Institute who continues to spread the love; enlightening interviews with Arthur Chu and Dr. Mark Stevens; a heartfelt talk with my stepfather about being traumatized by corporal punishment.

Thank you for the Bonfire Heights team-building picnic in the beautiful Oakland hills; gps on cell phones and no more road maps; being invited to give a talk on Raising Compassionate Boys at Cal Poly Pomona; the community I’ve found at The Good Men Project; summer vacation, parks, and flying airplanes with Jett and Fox.

Thank you for 7 year old Jett hypothesizing that “soft farts smell more than loud ones because they have less air”; how Fox whispers questions to me like we share a secret; new insights into men’s anger from watching The Avengers; family game night at Tabitha’s; being able to watch the incredible match between USA and Portugal at Jonathan’s house.

Thank you for the good luck from the bird pooing on me today; the first aid stand that treated my son after he got hit in the mouth; USA making it to the elimination round in the World Cup; 6 months of free Google Shopping Express; another peaceful day with Jett and Fox.

Thank you for how Jett prayed that Fox would get better during meditation; winning 300 dollars in Texas Hold’em; a beautiful day with friends and family at the 15th Annual Hattori Cup Golf Tournament; Trader Joe’s sample bar; all the mothers, grandmothers, and aunties to support me when Fox had a 103 temperature.

Thank you for the safe return of Jett and Fox from New York; another touching, heartfelt men’s group meeting; 4 year old Fox loving the adult drama film Heaven is for Real; Jett asking if life is fair and understanding when I said, “Life is not fair, but God is always fair”; realizing that control is the ego resisting uncertainty and refusing to trust life.

Related articles

• If you’re doing meditation you may be missing the point (living-minimalist.com)
• “Stop Breathing on My Neck. I’m Trying to Be Compassionate.” (everydaygurus.com)
• Everyday Thanksgiving: July 2013 (everydaygurus.com)

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