It's that time of year again: a whole month when we talk about what we're grateful for. Maybe you've been keeping a gratitude journal, or sending thanks out to others through your morning meditations ... or trying to figure out just how you're supposed to let your people know how much they mean to you when you can't share a pumpkin pie with them this Thursday (#thanksCOVID).

But I've got a new spin on gratitude for you this year.

Can you be open to ... receiving it?

If you're like me, you spend a heckuva lot of time making sure everyone else is taken care of and appreciated. And multiply that by gazillion this year. You're doing the school thing (in spades) with your kids. You're WFH ... at all hours of the day. You're going out of your way to make sure those folks who need an extra hand can get it. And if you're an essential worker ... there isn't a Hallmark expression that can sum up the debt owed to you right now.

So trust me when I say that people are thinking of you this week, thankful for your contribution to this world. So this year--even if it's just for a moment--can you take some time to drink all of that in?

I KNOW that you'll be spending all the rest of your time being thankful for everyone else--you're just that kind of person. But gratitude means nothing if it's not received on the other end. Think of an opened gift, a letter in the dead-end bin, or one of Cupid's arrows point down in the mud.

If you need some practice, try accepting this: I’m so grateful that you’ve taken time out of your jam-packed life to read this post and consider this idea. It means a lot to me when you try some of the little self-care habits that work for me.

How did that land for you? Comment with a simple "You’re welcome" and I'll know I didn't miss my mark today :)

jo bregnard

jo bregnard

musings

jo bregnard

i bet you've never thought about gratitude like this before