Re-Energize
Thanksgiving is once more upon the USA. Given what 2020 has brought: the pandemic, heightened racial injustice, a divisive presidential election, a teetering economy, it feels hard to be grateful. I have been dilly-dallying writing this blog, because I wanted to write about “re-energize”, but I couldn’t find the energy to write. Some dilemma.
Ready to let my self-imposed deadline slip, I was lazily sipping coffee this morning when I saw this adorable little face on TV. The tiniest, cutest face of an owl reported to have been found inside the soon-to-be Rockefeller Christmas tree after it was cut down in Oneonta, New York this week. Discovered during the tree transport, this “baby owl” was immediately named Rockefeller and nicknamed Rocky. About the size of a soda can, it turns out that Rockefeller is no baby. He is a saw-whet owl, the smallest species of owls in the region. Losing his home while he was in it was distressing to Rocky, so since his transfer to a nearby wildlife center, he has been catching up on R&R. Today, Rocky was released back to nature to find a new home, a task not difficult for him because saw-whet owls are migratory, making him quite capable of adapting to new habitats.
The video showing Rocky taking flight back to nature was breathtaking, heartwarming, and re-energizing. At that moment, all I could feel was deep gratitude for his adorable big eyes and beautiful little face, for the kindness of the people who discovered him and nurtured him back to strength, and for this magical story in the midst of the world’s anguish and pain.
An article published by the Harvard Medical School prescribes gratitude as an antidote for feelings of sadness, anxiety or depression that comes with high expectations for the festive holidays that start in November with the Thanksgiving holiday. “Gratitude is a thankful appreciation for what an individual receives, an acknowledgment of goodness in people’s lives. In the process, people usually recognize that the source of that goodness lies at least partially outside themselves. As a result, gratitude also helps people connect to something larger than themselves as individuals – whether to other people, nature, or a higher power. It helps people refocus on what they have instead of what they lack.” Research has proven that people who express gratitude are more optimistic, more positive, and more energetic.
So how can one cultivate gratitude, and by doing so, feel re-energized? The Harvard Medical School article suggests:
· Write a thank-you note: Express your enjoyment and appreciation of that person’s impact on your life. Make a habit of sending at least one gratitude letter a month. Once in a while, write one to yourself.
· Thank someone mentally: If you have no time to write, simply think about someone who has done something nice to you, and mentally thank the person.
· Keep a gratitude journal: Develop and maintain a habit to write down thoughts about the gifts you’ve received each day.
· Count your blessings: Pick a time once a week to sit down and write about your blessings. Reflect on what went right, on what you are grateful for. It helps to pick a number – maybe three to five things – to identify each week. As you write, be specific, thinking about what you felt when something good happened to you.
· Pray: Prayer can be used to cultivate gratitude.
· Meditate: Mindfulness meditation involves focusing on the present moment without judgment. Although people often focus on a word or phrase (example, “peace”), you can also focus on what you’re being grateful for (warmth, quiet, etc.).
I love this proverb: “Gratitude makes sense of our past, brings peace for today and creates a vision for tomorrow”. Perhaps, I hope, that as we celebrate Thanksgiving, we recognize the goodness that exists in our lives, connect to something larger than ourselves, and find renewed energy in realizing what we have instead of what we lack: energy that will propel us to create a new vision for our tomorrow.
