A Natural Gratitude
With my three year old son's Christmas list growing a mile long and the ever present pressure to consume hanging over our heads around this time of year, I thought it was important for my family and I to take a step back and focus on an important aspect of the Holidays and Everyday ~ Gratitude.
To practice Gratitude is to be consciously aware of all the good in our life. Nature has a way of evoking this sense of appreciation and awareness without us even trying to consciously bring it forth. How do we harness the state of Natural Gratitude that emerges from the trees, once we step inside? This is something that has been on my mind a lot lately because i see just how connected and present my family is when we are exploring outdoors. I've posted a couple pictures I took this weekend of our walk down a previously unexplored area of our gorgeous park system. It was such a magical experience!
Of course, getting outside everyday, even if it's only in your own backyard, does help set the tone in a general sense. Yet there are plenty of ways to incorporate a sense of Natural Gratitude a little more intentionally as well, no matter where you are or what the day might hold.
When artists have a creative block, or feel stuck, they seek out new experiences. The brain is not a static organ, but instead forever changing. Every time we have a new experience we change the neural map within our brains, allowing for new ideas and concepts to form. This promotes a new way of seeing and fosters creative growth. Throughout the years I can clearly reference place and time in each piece that I have created. Landscape has always been directly linked to my creative process so the connection is pretty immediate for me. And it just so happens that studies have shown time and again, that nature, creativity, and gratitude really do have an awful lot in common.
Nature is constantly in flux. You can walk the same stretch of land every day and experience something new each and every time. This could be one of the reasons why no matter what age you are; nature engages us on all levels. One of the most immediate ones being visual. It is hard not to see the beauty in the natural world and all of these visual details that are firing off in our brains also in turn send signals to our "hearts" and make us happier and more grateful by default. What a wonderful thing that a simple walk outside can actually do all that.
In a natural setting, we are more apt to clear our minds and just be. We shift out of our own emotional landscapes and start to focus on the world outside of ourselves. We begin to feel an appreciation for both the little details and the larger picture all at the same time. Thinking of ourselves as being one with something so vast and beautiful lets inspiration in. It is said that creativity brings with it health and happiness. Happiness and Joy bring with it, of course, a sense of Thankfulness and Gratitude.
What an amazing infinite circle to enter into: Nature ~ Creativity ~ Gratitude. (and repeat)
To harness the power that nature holds and bring intention to my family's day while indoors, I have started a Tree of Thanks at my house. With a 18month old and a 3 1/2-year-old, now is the time to form family traditions and start them on the path to Natural Gratitude. We are always taking lessons from nature when we are outside and now, especially with the colder weather at our backs, I feel this urge more than ever to find ways to bring those lessons indoors as well.
With sticks and twigs we've collected over the Fall thus far we made a "tree". I used a mason jar from our wedding, combined with some baby's breath left from my daughter's springtime birthday, and hung in place little cards used for a similar purpose during my son's blessing ceremony a few years back. A little bit of everyone is present in our tree and I couldn't be happier with the way it turned out. It is simple yet very sweet.
My son excitedly added the first appreciation during dinner last night, "Legos and candy". Well it's a start anyways! Each of us took a turn around the table and I jotted everything down and hung it up. Every night we will do this and eventually have a tree full of thanks. Sorry the card below is blank, I took the pics before dinner. But wanted to share a beautiful detail with you anyways!
So excited to start this new tradition and happy to be able to share my thoughts on the connections we have to gratitude when we take a moment connect with the natural world.
Would love to hear if anyone else has found ways to bring Natural Gratitude to the forefront in their family routines. And as I progress on my journey to find simple ways to illuminate the connection between nature and mindfulness I will continue to share with you as well...
