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!