Last week, I got to write a letter for a friend who was celebrating a milestone birthday. It gave me some time to reflect on our friendship, to wax nostalgic over old photos, to find the words to say what our friendship has meant, all that good stuff. Now that I've been doing this practice for several months, it's getting more fun as I go along.
Taking time for gratitude also means taking time for reflection. It requires remembering past moments, funny stories, meaningful events, tragedy and love, and how all of those elements weave together to form friendships, family ties, and romantic relationships. It helps me reflect on how far I've come, and all of those important people who have and are teaching me important lessons.
This particular letter was nice because it came by surprise. I was asked to write a note by their partner. This person was already on my list, but this time, an opportunity came by someone reaching in rather than me reaching out. Tuning my brain to the gratitude I have experienced these past months has made me more astute at picking it out in others, too. Like warm up scales at the piano, like rehearsals before a performance, actions of love, movements toward peace, toward spiritual attentiveness, and toward gratitude requires practice, too.
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