Appreciating contrast

I did promise to keep you posted on my documenting of things I find to appreciate in everyday life. When I contemplated my promise, I found out that in theory, I could sit for days and write pages up and down of things to appreciate and why to appreciate them.
A few of the things I´ve found to enjoy today are the smell of ocean, as I took a short trip down to the ocean with my girls today. I live about 30-40 minute drive from the ocean, so I’m not there that often in the winter time. It was both delicious for the eyes and the nose, and for the whole of my being to get out there today.


To hear the birds singing and welcoming spring, feeling the sun warm my face, knowing I still have a day off, smelling the forest waking up from its winter sleep. Even smallest things like the flower in my windowsill have been my excuses to feel good.


Remembering how life was back in the days, when life was hard and I was cranky and tired and too busy to enjoy just being alive, I realized that it might be wise to give those of you reading, that have not practiced this before, an example of how you can find something to appreciate in everything. And yes I truly mean EVERYTHING.

Of course it is sometimes extremely challenging, and you may need to give yourself some slack and wait till the storm blows over before contemplating what positive aspects you can draw from the situation.
My example for you is the weather, and I got inspired to make a short list, for the fun of it. The reason why I picked the weather is that it just is and doesn’t involve people that might happen to be in your face, and could disturb your feeling of appreciation.
• Sunshine is the obvious one for many people especially for those of us living far north of Equator. It is life giving, warming, helps to melt snow and boosts the humor. In addition we need sunshine in order for our bodies to make full use of the healthy food we eat and exploit vitamin D.
• Windstill is often very pleasant as it gives its own kind of peace to nature. No unpleasant smells from factories or farms will blow your way, and usually you will hear nature clearer.
• Wind brings you a breath of fresh air! Storm can even help you feel more in sync with nature, and more alive. It also helps produce electricity that is clean and doesn’t pollute the air!
• Rain will clear the air and wash away dust and sand, even dirt. It also, of course, nurtures both plants and animals. And where we utilize waterfalls to produce energy, it can also mean cheaper electricity in near future.
• Overclouded weather will give a stable temperature, both during the day, and at night. Where I live it can make the difference between frosts or not at night, especially in the springtime and in the autumn.
• Clear skies at night may reveal both the moon and the stars, giving you a perfect opportunity to contemplate the endlessness of the universe and your possibilities.

Of course this list is only just me scraping in the surface! The whole idea is for you to make your own list, or at least to contemplate and consider what good and delicious things you can find on your own. They may very well be pinpointed and narrowed down to details, if you wish!
Now it’s your turn to play! Have fun with it, and remember you cannot get it wrong!

Appreciation

Have you ever contemplated the subtle difference between love and appreciation? As I touched on in my last post here, I started contemplating that after listening to Angela Gower-Johnson share her insight on the subject. I suppose it really isn’t anything new, to know that appreciation is a good thing, but I still wanted to share some words with you around the subject.
Most people, at least from my generation and older have been taught that we are supposed to be thankful for what we are given, and to show appreciation and thankfulness at least towards the giver. Many of us were raced by parents who tried to manipulate us to do things we really didn’t want to, by telling us that we were so much more fortunate than others. For instance: “eat up you meal! (Even if you’re full) Think of the hungry children in Africa, who have nothing to eat!” Well excuse me, but that reasoning makes no sense, and that’s probably why it didn’t help feed the hungry either. I was already full, and ate up to stop the nagging, and learned to eat with bad conscience. Of course it is horrible to see pictures of people suffering. But me feeling bad because I am fortunate serves no one. It took more than 30 years to figure that one out. Eh, well… I wasn’t contemplating it the entire time, but now I finally get why those “threats” felt so off. I know my mother meant just well, and being brought up during WW2, and in great poverty, she had come to the conclusion that throwing away food was not an option.

So, back to the core; Appreciation.
I have found out that it is quite easy to feel appreciation for something, even if it is just a small thing. It’s easiest to find many things when you are feeling somewhere between contempt and happy. With practice you’ll be able to do it, even when you are not really in a good mood. On the other hand, I find it very challenging to love anyone or anything if I am cranky. And the more one practices the easier it gets.
Abraham and many other spiritual teachers / guides / coaches also talk about the importance of appreciation. I’ve taught my kids simple practices, like writing down 10 positive things about themselves and their siblings. It is hard at first, especially for older kids but my kids loved the outcome. And they were amazed at how warmly their siblings thought of them, and that the others really saw strength where they didn’t see them themselves.
Just sitting in peace somewhere, breathing deeply and really considering what things around you you’re glad you have. It may be your chair, your clothing, the room you’re sitting in, the fact it is quiet, a beautiful piece of art, a loved one, the air you breath in, your body, mind, or whatever you can think of.
So why would you, or I or anyone take time to stop for a few seconds or minutes every now and then to appreciate the obvious things in life, that “everyone” has, or at least could have if they wanted them? It is NOT to feed the hungry or to make you feel guilty. It is so that you can feel good in the moment, and for no other reason!
Law of Attraction states: The more you feel something (any feeling you can think of), the more you get of what you´re feeling. So what could be better than finding a lot of reason to be appreciative and feel good? In my understanding that can only lead to feeling good, and thereby attracting more things to be appreciative about and to feel good about.
The more you do this practice the more things you find to appreciate! It’s quite magical.
More often times than not, I don’t write down what I appreciate, even though many teachers do recommend it. The reason why I have rarely done it is that I may find things when I’m doing other things like driving, making dinner, talking to someone and so on and so forth.
Having said that, I’ve now decided to start documenting some of the things I find during the day, so that I can remind myself of them whenever I want to. Documenting these things may also help others to find their little things in life to enjoy from a whole new perspective, because I plan on sharing them, either here, or on Facebook, or maybe both.
Now it‘s your turn my friend, to look around, focus and figure out what you appreciate. Feel free to shere with me!