"Practice appreciating
for the first fifteen minutes
you are awake every day."
-- Doc Childre
[Classic post from 5-25-14]
This is as excellent a strategy for joyful days as I have ever seen. Doc Childre goes on to say, "Appreciation first thing in the morning is one of the most valuable efforts you can make to create more heart coherence in your system and release you from old attitudes that no longer serve you."
I have found that the best way to do this is to stay in bed as I'm awakening, and then purposefully, let my mind play with things to appreciate, such as the way the covers and my body relate in the morning. When I get into bed versus at the time to get up, the bed feels so much more a part of me and I love that feeling. I think about the sun coming up and spreading its wings of life-giving light and warmth. The glass in the window that allows me to see and yet protects me from rain and wind.
Then there's the bathroom. What a wonderful invention. Try to compare what you have now to what Abraham Lincoln had for a bathroom when he was a boy. Then, take it a bit further to the sink and the magic faucet that when turned not only brings clean, drinkable water immediately that we did nothing to achieve except turn the faucet, but it brings the magic of hot water for our pleasure! Think of the floor, whether it is tile, linoleum, wood products, or cement. It isn't dirt! It still is dirt in a large part of the world today. As well, Abraham Lincoln's childhood bathroom (an outhouse many feet away from the house) would still be a luxury in certain parts of the world today.
The list of things to be thankful for and to appreciate in America today is pretty much endless. So, fifteen minutes could go by pretty quickly; however, I don't think it requires even that much time. Even if it were five minutes, there would be so much to gain from starting your day with this point of view. It is likely to help the rest of your day follow along.
Just Imagine Every Day Beginning This Way. . . It
Spread Some Joy Today--by constantly seeking joy. Spreading it requires no effort.
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