Push Pause…Gratitude in the Moment

Intentional gratitude for the things and people from our past was the subject of last week’s DoAhead Devo.

How did you do?

Were you able to snatch a few moments to look back and give thanks?

If your week was insane and you’re thinking, “I was supposed to do what?” I get it. I SO get it. Let’s give each other a hall pass if that’s the way the week shook out. But at the same time let’s not give up cultivating thankfulness.

Cultivate means to promote or improve the growth of something. I like that. I can do that. I’ll bet you can too. With that thought in mind I say we plant seeds for harvesting gratitude in the moment.

I’ve been working on it this the past week and do you know what surprised me?

How much fun it was!

Oh sure, there were a few days I needed that hall pass. But there were other moments that I stopped.

I saw, I touched, I smelled and I experienced gratitude.

Do you know what else surprised me? I encountered a giddy kind of joy from the insignificant and unpretentious.

The thermometer hanging in Doc’s shop.

Living in a part of the world where guys like these are my bumper buddy.

Big ‘ol dirty tires on my young man’s truck.

Outdoor fall flowers that welcome me home.

One day I was particularly “snap happy” with my camera. I laughed to myself as I thought how silly I must look.

It occurred to me that I probably resembled Raymond Babbitt from the movie Rain Man. (If you’ve never seen Rain Man put it on your “winter night movies to watch”  list. Dustin Hoffman starred in the film. The film won four Oscars in 1989, including Best Actor for Hoffman’s portrayal of the autistic savant.)

Raymond carries a camera and is constantly taking pictures. At the conclusion of the film, ending credits reveal the photos he took. The pictures gives us a glimpse into the heart of Raymond and what mattered to him. The images were seemingly inconsequential and yet incredibly poignant.

And so that was me——–me and my “Raymond rendition”, snapping away at tons of the “tiny’s” that made me smile.

All I had to do was push pause.

Sweet DoAheads, I hope that this week you can take a few moments and do likewise.

• Leave the laundry. It will be there tomorrow.
• Don’t do dishes. Honest. Sometimes it’s Okay to have a sink full of dirty dishes.
• Bag the basketball game. If you’re running to your umpteenth activity for the week ask yourself if its an option to pass and PAUSE.

If you can take the time to push pause…WONDERFUL! But remember; you don’t need to journal, take pictures, mix up your schedule, or neglect household chores to be grateful. I’ll repeat last week’s post;

Gratitude requires one thing…

A Grateful Heart.

Next week DoAhead Devo will talk about thankfulness from another perspective. We’ll explore lending a forward focus to our attitude of gratitude. Be sure and pop over this Wednesday for DoAhead Dining. Fantabulous pointers for cooking the perfect Turkey for your Holiday meal will be at your disposal!

Oh, and guess what! We get to link up with Angie Ryg’s Inspire Me Monday today.

It’s a wonderful opportunity to hear from (and share) about what inspires us! You may have found a recipe that you’re sure is from heaven…SHARE! Maybe you have a da’bomb decor’ idea that’s a snap…SHARE! Or perhaps your Monday has met you with words of inspiration…please SHARE!

These lovely ladies (including your DoAhead friend) will be co-hosting with Angie: Denise J. Hughes and Anita Strawn de Ojeda. Below are your  1-2-3′s for linking up and living life inspired!

1. Link up an inspirational post from the previous week (just one please.)

2. Visit two other contributors (especially the person who linked up right before you) and leave an encouraging comment.

3. Share the inspiration three ways…you can tweet, share a post on Facebook, Pin-It, Instagram-It, WHATEVER form of social media you choose…just SHARE!

Let’s start linking and living large on this Inspire Me Monday!

Your DoAhead Friend,