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Gratefulness
I am not only grateful for “good” experiences but also for the “bad” ones too, because it is these experiences that bless us with wisdom.
Everytime I get to see my animal friends, I am happy again. Even if it’s a rough patch, I at least tend to have laughter through tears because of them. I always feel grateful when touching them or working with them because they are compassionate, kind, and caring creatures who show their loving essence without fear.
I can live a bigger YES by living each day with spiritual practices and mindfulness of the sacred realities that are continually present with me. This includes things like reducing, reusing, and recycling; examining my own desires and aligning them with the good of all; eating with mindfulness; practicing wu-wei; fulfilling my everyday obligations and doing the best I can at all of them; studying the Torah and putting it into practice; prayer; examining events in my life and discerning my dha...
I can live a bigger YES by living each day with spiritual practices and mindfulness of the sacred realities that are continually present with me. This includes things like reducing, reusing, and recycling; examining my own desires and aligning them with the good of all; eating with mindfulness; practicing wu-wei; fulfilling my everyday obligations and doing the best I can at all of them; studying the Torah and putting it into practice; prayer; examining events in my life and discerning my dharma through those events; studying the history of UFOs and alien mythology; finding opportunities to participate in theater; running; analyzing films and television; living without doing any harm to others; searching for truth and meaning responsibly and freely; and analyzing literature.
Gratitude helps me to see the good in the world by showing me that even the things I see as “bad” can often work out for good. For example, if I hadn’t had a really deep, somewhat traumatic spiritual crisis from 2010-2012, I would not be in seminary right now, nor would I have the deep sense of spirituality that pays attention to wisdom from all cultures and faith traditions that I have now. I can never judge a moment as “bad” when I don’t know what the out...
Gratitude helps me to see the good in the world by showing me that even the things I see as “bad” can often work out for good. For example, if I hadn’t had a really deep, somewhat traumatic spiritual crisis from 2010-2012, I would not be in seminary right now, nor would I have the deep sense of spirituality that pays attention to wisdom from all cultures and faith traditions that I have now. I can never judge a moment as “bad” when I don’t know what the outcome will be.
I was going through a depressive episode and trauma triggers. I could have let it bog me down and have caved in. Instead, however, I went out and went to some museums and national parks to get my mind off of it. Even though I kind of just felt like sitting around all day feeling sad and anxious, I got out, got my mind away from my problems for a while, and ended up having a lot of fun.
If I feel gratitude, it might benefit me and make me feel better about life, but it won’t necessarily help other people. If I express gratitude by saying things like, “Thank you so much!” or “Wow! Look at how beautiful that nest is!” others benefit as well because they know that their own efforts are appreciated and become more aware of things they can be grateful for without anyone nagging them with annoying phrases like, “But think about all the things yo...
If I feel gratitude, it might benefit me and make me feel better about life, but it won’t necessarily help other people. If I express gratitude by saying things like, “Thank you so much!” or “Wow! Look at how beautiful that nest is!” others benefit as well because they know that their own efforts are appreciated and become more aware of things they can be grateful for without anyone nagging them with annoying phrases like, “But think about all the things you have to be grateful for!” Pointing out good things that we all share, however, can encourage others to be grateful.
For my experiential learning in seminary, I am giving my time to help save a man on death row whose execution is likely to be botched because of a medical condition he has. He previously had a stay of execution because of this, but the Supreme Court ruled that he could be executed, despite this risk. I hope that the state of Missouri will give him another stay of execution so that the Eighth Amendment is not violated, and this man’s rights are maintained. If he survives, I will be enric...
For my experiential learning in seminary, I am giving my time to help save a man on death row whose execution is likely to be botched because of a medical condition he has. He previously had a stay of execution because of this, but the Supreme Court ruled that he could be executed, despite this risk. I hope that the state of Missouri will give him another stay of execution so that the Eighth Amendment is not violated, and this man’s rights are maintained. If he survives, I will be enriched by knowing that I did what I could to save his life and save him from torture. #SpareRussell https://www.change.org/p/sparerussell
I can treasure the uniqueness of who I am by remembering my story. It is a long one, but it is one that is important and that gives clues about my purpose in life and who I am meant to be, as well as where I am heading, as well as what my collective dharma to humanity is. Remembering my story helps me to understand where I am headed.
Whenever I go through an intellectual struggle or spiritual crisis, I try to think long-term and try to see it less as inner torture and more as an opportunity for growth and gaining wisdom. This helps me to get through the times when my mind gets caught up in the deep questions.
I’ve prayed for guidance before. Interestingly, one time when I asked for guidance, I had a bit of a divine humor incident. I was in the cafeteria and ate three fortune cookies, all of which said, “A new pair of shoes will do you good.” I thought maybe all of them said that, so I took a fourth one just to test it, but it said one of those typical vague things fortune cookies always say. Later that evening, while I was at track practice, my shoes started falling apart during ...
I’ve prayed for guidance before. Interestingly, one time when I asked for guidance, I had a bit of a divine humor incident. I was in the cafeteria and ate three fortune cookies, all of which said, “A new pair of shoes will do you good.” I thought maybe all of them said that, so I took a fourth one just to test it, but it said one of those typical vague things fortune cookies always say. Later that evening, while I was at track practice, my shoes started falling apart during my run. It was then that I knew: it’s time to get new shoes!
Right now, I’m growing by learning to face trauma. Last year, I had a terrifying experience at the graduate school I’m attending, and being back is triggering some memories, but I’m learning to face my fear and, hopefully, to eventually realize that this is a safe place and that I will be okay. I could chose to run away from the triggers, but I’m facing them so that I can eventually associate them with something more positive.
The fact that the earth produces herbs that can be used for medicinal healing is actually pretty awe-inspiring when you stop and think about it. It shows how interconnected and interdependent all life is with other forms of life.
The fact that we all came from the same source serves as a reminder that we can continue to work as a body together. In our individualist culture, it is often difficult to get past our own needs and wants, but when we remember that people accomplish great things together by cooperating with each other through our own unique gifts, we see ourselves as a collective body, rather than separated individuals. We came from the primordial energy of the Big Bang, and we are still connected to each oth...
The fact that we all came from the same source serves as a reminder that we can continue to work as a body together. In our individualist culture, it is often difficult to get past our own needs and wants, but when we remember that people accomplish great things together by cooperating with each other through our own unique gifts, we see ourselves as a collective body, rather than separated individuals. We came from the primordial energy of the Big Bang, and we are still connected to each other and must remember the roles we play in society for the greater good of the collective social body.
The sunlight coming into my house compliments the painting on the walls, so that the house, to some degree, fits in well with its natural surroundings outside. The true beauty, however, is in the trees, the plants, the garden outside, and the bright sun that is out today in Colorado.
Today, I will be showing up with more integrity by officially beginning my journey of avoiding driving to run errands. This will help me to be a better steward of the environment, God-willing, and will remind me to focus less on materialism and more on the importance of living ethically.
Absolutely not, in my opinion! Look at the country and the world right now. There are migrant children being caged; people are being shot because of a lack of basic gun safety laws; Muslims are being mistreated in the United States; Christians are persecuted in other countries; and we are on the brink of environmental disaster! To truly be spiritual, regardless of specific beliefs, we all have a common calling, I think, to risk everything for the sake of spiritual principles. This means civil...
Absolutely not, in my opinion! Look at the country and the world right now. There are migrant children being caged; people are being shot because of a lack of basic gun safety laws; Muslims are being mistreated in the United States; Christians are persecuted in other countries; and we are on the brink of environmental disaster! To truly be spiritual, regardless of specific beliefs, we all have a common calling, I think, to risk everything for the sake of spiritual principles. This means civilly disobeying if necessary, taking a stand when something is wrong, and fighting for what is right, regardless of the risks involved. The early Christians believed that they should be willing to die for their faith if necessary; I think every spiritual community, regardless of specific religious or spiritual beliefs, ought to make the same commitment.
Seeing the great biodiversity that exists everywhere and experiencing the kindness that animals are capable of showing reminds me to continue eating with regard to the ethics of animals (I’m not vegan, but I am vegetarian and try to make sure that all animal products I do consume are bought locally) and to always practice living in a simple way that does as little environmental damage as possible. This includes minimizing how often I drive.
Doing what I am called to do. After writing this, I am planning, God-willing, to make final edits to my sermon and, afterwards, I will probably do some reading to learn about new ways to engage in the world and then go for a run, God-willing.
I think so. I’m doing the best I can to do my dharma each day and complete the work that I have been sent here to do (if it is true that I have a purpose). As such, I am simply doing the best I can to fulfill my dharma in the life I have been given and work to try to complete it each day.
Right now, I am making a goal to never drive any distance under 16 miles. For a very short distance, I can walk; for a distance of a mile or more, I can run; for a distance of more than 8 miles, I can bike, but I want to drive as little as possible to live the life I ought to: one that is dedicated to avoiding carbon emissions and materialism. For anyone interested, I challenge you to do the same. For at least the next 40 days, try to do the same thing and see how it goes. That’s what I...
Right now, I am making a goal to never drive any distance under 16 miles. For a very short distance, I can walk; for a distance of a mile or more, I can run; for a distance of more than 8 miles, I can bike, but I want to drive as little as possible to live the life I ought to: one that is dedicated to avoiding carbon emissions and materialism. For anyone interested, I challenge you to do the same. For at least the next 40 days, try to do the same thing and see how it goes. That’s what I’m doing, and, if I succeed, I plan to make this a life-time habit, God-willing.
Wanting to be right is the substance of confirmation bias. It can and does keep us from seeking information that contradicts our beliefs. I have found that the information out there can be very misleading, so it’s best to assume you know nothing, and whatever else is out there can help you along the way. Just remember: you can’t even really be sure that anything is real except for your own consciousness. Even then, it’s not what you think it is. Of course, however, I could be wrong abou...
Wanting to be right is the substance of confirmation bias. It can and does keep us from seeking information that contradicts our beliefs. I have found that the information out there can be very misleading, so it’s best to assume you know nothing, and whatever else is out there can help you along the way. Just remember: you can’t even really be sure that anything is real except for your own consciousness. Even then, it’s not what you think it is. Of course, however, I could be wrong about everything I just said.
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We are delighted to announce the release of Kristi Nelson’s book Wake Up Grateful
