Bee Grateful….and honor it.

Yes, it’s not very original to do “Bee Grateful” on Thanksgiving is it? 😉 But this year I was struck by an additional thought: “So What?!” I believe I live with a grateful heart most days, but so what? What do I do with those grateful things I recognize, elevate, focus on, etc?! So What!?

Well, I made my list: my family, my friends, my spiritual connection/awareness, my tragedies (yes, grateful for the hard stuff that helps me grow), health, growth of my business, etc…etc… but then came the blog/reflection worthy piece:

How am I honoring the things I am grateful for in my life?

That my friends, is the real question of the day. With a cultivated, grateful-heart lifestyle, what do I do with all of these beautiful things I am grateful for!? How do I use this knowledge, or honor or “thank” the beauty in my life? Chin scratcher to be sure.

Think of this analogy: if the thing I am grateful for was a book, not a person or health or something, I wouldn’t throw this treasured book in a forgotten corner pile, or use it as a coaster! I would read it! I would put it on the shelf where people could see and maybe ask about it; I would quote it and think about it. I would dust it and love it and take care of it!

So today (and going forward) when I think about a thing I am grateful for, I will treat it like I actually care about keeping it in my life. If I am grateful for my health, I’ll take a walk, or go to the gym, or eat the apple instead of the cookie! I will stretch! If I am grateful for friends, I will call someone or send a text to her (or him) just asking how things are going. If I am grateful for my home, perhaps I should clean out a closet, wipe down some walls or counters, or even just walk around a bit looking at things and remembering memories. Not a chore – but a deliberate and intentional thank you. And I will smile.

Today can be about reciting what is good and the things for which we are grateful. But it can also be a day to inspire us to invest more in the beauty of our lives and help those things grow and fill us – that allows the joy/gratefulness to shove away the negativity and darkness which doesn’t always serve our serenity and peace.

Bee grateful but then bee active and honor the good stuff.