Based off of this art piece, I discuss the importance of gratitude and offer manners of incorporating gratitude!
For the avocado lovers out there, there’s nothing quite like cutting into a perfectly ripe avocado, am I right? Avocados can be so temperamental and sometimes you just don’t know what you’re going to get until that moment of truth once you’ve sliced it open, and then you see, ahhh, that green gratitude. This moment is where this art piece stemmed from!
A further significance of this art piece is that of the once-popularized Vine (pre-TikTok days!) of a little boy being gifted a rehearsal avocado for his upcoming birthday, in an effort to try to teach him manners. He displays this with flying colors, as he unwraps his present and accepts it politely, “It's an avocado... thanks!” It is definitely also about embodying gratitude when life unexpectedly gives you... avocados. There’s something still wonderful in that!
In other words, this imagery reminds me to be grateful for the things that I am grateful for and grateful for the things I am not.
So what makes gratitude so important?
Gratitude can help us to break through the mental thought patterns that we were running away with and elevate us to greater awareness and a higher perspective.
Gratitude is a felt shift which can make us redirect our emotions and have us feel lighter about a situation, quickly.
Gratitude can bring relief and acceptance over things we cannot ultimately control, centering and grounding us in things of true value and importance.
If you want to give gratitude as an attitude or way of life a try, here are some ways to regularly incorporate gratitude:
Always validate your feelings first! Gratitude is not a mode of undermining your natural response. Only once you are ready to change gears, look for the gratitude in the situation or outcome (e.g., “I’m glad that...”, “Thankfully...”)
Consider beginning your day with a gratitude practice (e.g. a statement of acknowledgement of the new day, or an inspirational quote)
Consider ending your day with a reflection of things you are thankful for, or even a gratitude journal, regularly making a list of things you are grateful for
Make your own art depicting something that you are grateful for or that represents gratitude to you. Display this imagery in a prominent location that you look at often, as a visual reminder to practice gratitude.
Gratitude is a pause, it’s not just mental statements! It is about letting joy land in your heart, and for that, you do have to pause and breathe. it. in. In this way, gratitude can affirm the mind-body connection for us.
Gratitude is an uplifting acknowledgement of change, growth, or progress, even just noticing a change in your mood or how your body feels before, and then after, a workout. What a wonderful opportunity to mentally or verbally acknowledge yourself, your circumstances, or somebody else!
There is always something to be grateful for (e.g. that green light, the yummy temperature of your tea, the perfect color and ripeness of the avocado you just sliced, etc.). It really is all the small things, and noticing them on the spot in themselves is practicing gratitude!
When life gives you avocados, make a bowl of guacamole and dig into that joy with others!
Continue being a soulviver!
Yesenia
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