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How to cultivate an attitude of gratitude

What a wild and crazy year it has been, and it is not even over yet. Between the pandemic, a deep divide in our country over racial and economic issues, and a very heated political environment and presidential race, it seems as if life has gotten intense and placed us on an uncertain course. The new normal may be just that: uncertainty.

Perhaps this year more so than previous years, Thanksgiving comes at a time when we can change the lens through which we are looking at life. What is before us is a unique opportunity to cultivate, with intention and focus, a habit for seeking out our blessings and those things that we hold close to our heart and cherish.

Do we have family, friends or other loved ones near us or that we are connected to? Do we have safe shelter and food to nourish us? Do we have meaningful work or creativity seeking expression? Do we notice the beauty that is such a magical and prevalent charm of this town called Fallbrook?

Sometimes, it is helpful to step back from the intensity of the moment and look at things from a more distant and a broader perspective. That view would be an attitude of gratitude.

I have found that by focusing on my blessings in the moment, at the end of each day, at the conclusion of each week and finally on New Year's Day, when I open up an overstuffed jar filled with little notes that I consider the gifts or blessings of individual incidents from the year, gratitude has become a wonderful filter in which to live my life.

When cultivated in this manner, we begin to notice and reflect on blessings in real time and the practice of gratitude can become a moment by moment process of seeing the wonder of this gift called life.

When I open my eyes on my morning walk, I see all around me the absolute splendor and grandeur of nature. Surely, just by opening my senses to the sights, smells and touch of this natural world I see behind it all the hand of a divine and benevolent creator.

These walks, with the inspiring surroundings that are so accessible in our little town of Fallbrook, serve as a daily encouragement for me. Of course, it does not hurt to get your heart beating and to be breathing in a little bit more oxygen into the system, shifting the metabolism and the brain into a higher gear.

I have found this to be the time I naturally pray each day. Pray that I may see the blessings and open my imagination wider and farther, when it seems like my mind wants to limit to fear or worry. In this way, I see a link between a progression of my faith and appreciation for this life with the consistency in which I do my morning rounds.

I am not suggesting that everyone go for a walk, although I think most people would find it extremely valuable, but just find some way to see the beauty that surrounds us, to move the body in a way that gets all its cylinders firing, so we feel more life coursing through our bodies and our minds, and to take time to contemplate the bigger picture at our fingertips.

Another practice I like to do at the end of each day as I lie in bed, is to reflect on the day in reverse. I start with the most recent things I can remember and go all the way back to the day's beginning. Rather than being critical of maybe what did not work out according to my plan or things that seem to be distracting to me, I deliberately look for the things that are blessings and fill my heart with more gratitude.

What is really powerful about this practice is how it programs our powerful subconscious mind. There is a small window of time between the waking conscious thinking mind, that is the aspect of the mind that creates and the time where we slip into the world of dreams, reflections, emotion and memory, the subconscious mind.

It has now been documented that the subconscious mind is like the great part of an iceberg not seen, submerged under the water. In contrast, the conscious mind is just that small tip of the iceberg poking itself into visibility. But the weight and mass and power of the iceberg lie below the surface.

The same is true with the subconscious mind. It has the power of our emotions to take what suggestions are given to it and obediently bring them into being. It is what is called the subjective mind, in that it only replicates or brings into our lives the suggestions that are given to it. It does not think, but it does respond to our thoughts.

So, imagine feeding this powerful mind the positive and grateful reflections of a day. It is like telling that mind, "OK, go ahead and give me some more things to be grateful for." You might find if you try this practice that you wake up a little bit brighter and more energized in the morning without having a logical explanation.

In this spirit of gratitude and Thanksgiving and with the uncertainty of the pandemic, Laurel and I have decided to extend the idea of "Every Body Deserves a Massage Day" to simply a massage by massage decision. We want no one to be left out of the experience of having skilled, loving hands address the tensions and stresses of this bizarre and uncertain world we live in.

To be clear, if you are a new client or perhaps a client who has not come in for some time because of your concerns about pricing, we are simply grateful to have you come and let us know what works for you financially. We have heard it so many times and it may sound cliche, but I think it rings very true: "We are all in this together."

That is what I love about massage therapy. There is this point of connection from one body to the another, from one mind to the another and even from one heart to another, that I believe can be communicated on each of those levels in a way that can transform, in the short time of a massage session, what it's like to be in a human body.

The human body is a repository for not only physical stresses, but stresses on any other level. So, by addressing the body we are able to free up some of those energies that have been bound up in us in the form of thoughts that weigh down or negative feelings that keep us anxious and perhaps worried.

Happy Thanksgiving and try on the attitude of gratitude for a week or month and see how your life unfolds.

To reach Transcendent Touch Healing Massage for a massage or a coaching session, call 760-533-3505 for Craig Lozzi or 323-356-5363 for Laurel Lozzi.

 

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