GratiTuesday – Gratitude for a New Year
Today is the first GratiTuesday of 2026, and an opportunity for me to express gratitude for a new year. In years past I remember each New Year launched brimming with possibilities; feeling excited, hopeful, and optimistic. Woohoo! A new year, anew anew. “Begin again!” Believe it or not, this year I feel no different.
Yes, I acknowledge many (many, many, many!) aspects of our lives feel topsy-turvy, uncertain, and downright scary. In light of life experience over the past several years, months, weeks, days!, all of these feelings are valid and justified. I feel it, too.
Thank goodness for my gratitude practices. Without gratitude it would be easy to get caught up and dragged down. With gratitude it is – a bit – easier for me to get grounded and centered. With gratitude is is a bit easier to shift perspective and expectations.
Obviously it hasn’t been consistently ‘easy’. However, a consistent gratitude practice has made it possible for me to regularly make shifts in perspective or expectation. Once grounded and centered, tackling topsy-turvy, uncertain and downright scary situations feels a bit more manageable.
For example, J.M. Nieto’s cartoon dialogue beautifully illustrates this relationship between perspective and expectation. Nieto originally published the cartoon in 2017, but the conversation is clearly relevant all these years later:
Q: Why so optimistic about [2026]? What do you think it will bring?
A: I think it will bring flowers
Q: Yes? How come?
A: Because I am planting flowers
I’m off to get my hands dirty planting seeds for what’s next in my new year. What about you?”
Incidentally, the simple act of planting flowers, or getting your hands in the dirt planting anything, can also make a positive shift in your overall mood. Don’t believe me? Check out this article about “Antidepressant Microbes In Soil: How Dirt Makes You Happy”, by Certified Urban Agriculturist, Bonnie L. Grant.
Well, I’m off to get my hands dirty planting seeds for what’s next in my new year. What about you?
As always, each Tuesday we invite one another to express one thing – in the comments field – for which you are grateful, and/or Share that sentiment as a post on your favorite social media site. It needn’t be lofty and can certainly reflect something we usually take for granted. I’ll go first… I AM so happy and grateful for seeds. Now your turn. I AM so happy and grateful now that/for: _______________________________________________________________________________
#laurelblossomyoga #yoga #meditation #reiki #gratitude #gratituesday #jmnieto #bonnielgrant
GratiTuesday – Gratitude, Pay it Forward
Have you ever considered the cultural implications of gratitude? Well, you’re not alone. Not many have, until about ten years ago, when Jonathan Tudge, a professor at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro, and perhaps the foremost expert on cultural differences in gratitude began to explore this topic. Turns out our culture shapes how we express gratitude.
A 2011 study revealed that the value ‘individualist cultures’ place on self-improvement and personal agency bolsters the efforts of this cohort to become more satisfied. On the other end of the spectrum, the pursuit of enhanced personal well-being is de-emphasized in ‘collectivist cultures’ which place less value upon self-focus or individual goals. “Giving and receiving help is an expected part of daily life for members of collectivist cultures, rather than an uplifting surprise, as may be the case for those from individualist cultures,” writes researcher Lilian J. Shin and her colleagues in their forthcoming study.
At a time when (our American) society seems to be more about me me me, we really need to get people thinking about connections,” ~ Professor Jonathon Tudge
Across cultures it appears that attitudes and expressions of gratitude link our perceptions of ‘the self’ with its relation to that of ‘others.’ Ultimately, gratitude is a skill we learn within our culture to strengthen our relationships, our connections with one another. “At a time when (our American) society seems to be more about me me me, we really need to get people thinking about connections,” says Professor Tudge. For this reason, Tudge suggests that there may be more to gratitude than simply using it to boost your happiness score.
Consider reciprocating kindness as an ideal moral virtue; that the expression of gratitude can be a method for ‘paying it forward’, which then naturally leads us to feeling more connected.
As always, each Tuesday we invite one another to express one thing – in the comments field – for which you are grateful, and/or Share that sentiment as a post on your favorite social media site. It needn’t be lofty and can certainly reflect something we usually take for granted. I’ll go first… I AM so happy and grateful to pay it forward. Now your turn. I AM so happy and grateful now that/for: _____________________________________________________________________________
#laurelblossomyoga #yoga #meditation #reiki #gratitude #gratituesday #culture #payitforward