On Gratitude from this week's Evolve Detroit

Read the full version edited by yours truly. ~G

This weekend, our Canadian brethren to the south celebrated Thanksgiving. Their "giving of thanks" must have somehow rubbed off on us here at the Lab, as we were filled with a heightened sense of gratitude. We focused inward a bit seeking out some of the core aspects of our being in order to recognize and thank them. Each one of us, at this very moment is engaging in an activity that is utterly awe inspiring. The act of reading; parsing words, creating categories of meaning and identifying as with, against or indifferent to them are all complex tasks.

There is a great deal going on within us and around us that we filter out. This is not from spite or distraction, but from an innocent lack of awareness. Certain aspects of the world around us, our bodies and minds, function so well we don't really notice them until there is a problem. They are unsung heroes when things are running smoothly and typically villainized when they are not.

These unsung core aspects are what we focused our gratitude upon this weekend. And this week, as we revel in these warm and beautiful days, we highly recommend taking a moment to thank yourself for all you do. Do it every day, as often as possible. If gratitude is sincere there can never be too much.

A pat on the back is great, but we recommend seeking depth with this expression of gratitude. Leave judgment behind and give yourself permission to go deep. Take a little thing that you do or a function of the world and explore how it unwinds and connects to other aspects of your experience. Recognize the complexity and, from the depths of your being, thank the process, the players and the results.

Recognition and gratitude shed light and seem to clean out the trappings of these "automatic" functions. We posit that, though these minuscule aspects of our lives do in fact function on their own, they are enhanced by our participation. We tend to be pretty hands off when it comes to our perception these days. Shining this light, pouring this gratitude into the depth of our being reconnects us and grounds us so we can begin to participate more fully.

This is a vital part of that Evolution we talk about all the time.