Gratitude

Gratitude

By: Lili Scott

As we transition into the season of shorter, colder days, it's a wonderful time to consider our relationship with gratitude, and to be grateful for the gifts in our lives.

In Chinese Medicine, our Qi is said to follow our intention or mental energy. Different mental and emotional patterns do different things to our energy: overthinking and worry knot the qi; anger makes it rise up, fear sinks it, sadness dissolves it and so on.

It is my experience that gratitude provides a kind of gentle buoyancy and softening to life - I've used it to shift out of many less desirable mental/ emotional states.  Of course the so called 'negative emotions' are part of life and it's important that they be fully felt, digested and integrated. But when any mental/ emotional state becomes excessive, or limits our ability to experience anything else, it's time for an intervention. And gratitude is a great one.

Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life, it turns what we have into enough and more. It turns problems into gifts, confusion to clarity, chaos into order, failures into successes and the unexpected into perfect timing. Gratitude makes sense of our past, brings peace for today, and creates a vision for tomorrow.

My practice, evergreens, the ocean, sunshine, rain, a strong, healthy body, a roof over my head, my amazing patients, sight, music to listen to...these are just some of the many things I am grateful for.

In the months to come may you find peace, balance and gratitude!