Sunday 30 March 2014

Gratitude......

Gratitude
           helps you to grow and expand;
           gratitude brings joy
           and laughter into your lives
           and into the lives of all those around you.

                                                     Eileen Caddy
                                                          The Dawn of Change


Central to an Earth culture and the fair shares ethic is the idea of abundance. The industrial growth culture has the opposing belief of scarcity. Scarcity verses abundance is fear versus trust. A scarcity mindset has an underlying fear that there isn't enough. An abundance attitude trusts that our needs will be provided for. When we give we don't need to be concerned about consequences of our actions or be looking for gratitude or pay back. With a scarcity state of mind we hold tight to our time, energy and resources and they can stagnate and pollute.

It is within our power and abilities to create surpluses and abundance in our lives. Abundance is more than just material items; we can create abundances of self esteem, confidence, practical skills, friends, local community, purpose, knowledge and time. This starts with observing what we have, seeing the surpluses and redefining what we have in terms of what we need. Appreciation and abundance go hand in hand. It is about making the choice to see the abundances: are we seeing the strawberries that we have in plenty or do we want to import bananas? Of course strawberries and bananas aren't the same, but abundance is about valuing what we have rather than focusing on what we haven't got.

This continues with active creation of surpluses; what can we make, what skills do we have to offer, what plants can we propagate, what can we harvest, what time do we have spare?

 Looby Macnamara

Both of the above quotes have struck my attention recently. It is easy to go through life wishing you had more and closing ourselves to actually seeing that in fact our lives are filled with amazing things. So Friday evening the children and I took Jenny dog for a stroll at dusk and as they rode ahead on their bikes I gave some thought to all the amazing aspects of my life that I am eternally grateful for....let me share some of my thoughts.

I am truly grateful......


* that my home and life is always filled with children. I am blessed to have three beautiful children of my own and they all have friends. Surrounding yourself with children gives you a different outlook on life (and it keeps you young!).
Children are our future.......

* that I am able to buy wholesome food and that I am lucky to feel inspired to experiment in the preparation of it.



* that I am able to live in a pretty little cottage that is full of character and that the countryside is my playground :-)



* that I have time to stop and observe the changing seasons and admire the beauty of natures gifts.



* that I live in an area where the air is clean and fresh.

* that I am able to make friends and not enemies, whom I feel safe and alive with.

* that I have the ability to see the positive even in the worst situations.



* that I consider myself 'rich' although have little money and that I am able to earn 'just' enough money to make all things possible :-)

* that I have an amazing family who love and care unconditionally.

Sunday roast in the garden today :-)


* that I can laugh even when things go wrong.

* that I have a creative mind and can see the potential in all things.




* that I am independent, capable and willing to do things for myself.

 
* that I am fortunate enough to be free from the constraints of addiction and that my body and mind are in good health.

* that  have the power to think beyond the box and deviate from the 'norm' in so many areas of my life.



* that I have hope, ambitions and dreams and am driven to make them a reality.

* that I am able to plan things but equally can be very spontaneous.


* that I can see beyond myself and offer compassion towards others.

* that I have an amazingly interesting and varied life.


* that I have discovered my ability to write and have friends willing to read my jottings and post comments which inspire further.......


My mother's day girft from Small Boy

Thanks you :-) XX

1 comment:

  1. That's lovely. Can you come up with a list of positives for me, too? ;)

    ReplyDelete