12 Intentions of Gratitude

Airtime is a community that includes podcasts and aims to fight food insecurity on Madison's east side. There are paid membership tiers that offer access to discussion forums, book and movie reviews, and chats. The focus is on listening to the divine and practicing gratitude throughout the day. The practice involves paying attention to emotions and visceral feelings, being aware of gratitude, and showing kindness without expecting anything in return. It also encourages reflecting on what has been learned, reaching out to others, finding peace, and seeing challenging moments as opportunities. The community encourages being fully present and grateful even in waiting moments and during meals. There are plans for a new discussion forum called Deconstructing Faith. The goal is to build the Airtime community and continue the work of gratitude in daily living. Hey y'all, welcome to Airtime. As you know, podcasts are just part of the Airtime community. To help fight food insecurity on Madison's east side and continue building this community, there are paid membership tiers that give access to discussion forums, book and movie reviews, chats, and more. However you choose to engage in this community, we work to listen more deeply to the divine always around us, the divine within us, the divine within others, and seeing the divine throughout creation. Last week I shared practice to begin our days in a way that helps us at least consider the abundance in our lives. On the heels of that, I feel that it might be helpful to share another tool for our work and practice together. Today is about garnishing and maintaining presence, and some sort of awareness or intention to live in gratitude throughout our day. As we begin, pay attention to your body, or your belly, chest, and head, each feel in this particular moment. Are there certain emotions that you can associate with these visceral feelings? When we talk about gratitude, does that have a positive, or negative, impact on any stories that you have regarding this topic? The fact that there are others who feel similarly about gratitude as you is important to recognize. As we do our work, how you feel might increase your awareness and practice of gratitude. Think of times in your day-to-day living that you can apply increased awareness to gratitude. As we begin our time together, you're invited to close your eyes, take a few deep breaths, all the way out, and then all the way in. All the way out, and all the way in. Notice how you're breathing, so often just takes care of itself. Just breathe. Moving itself through you, keeping you alive. Just keeping you alive. Commit to not taking this breath, this miracle, for granted. See if you can take inventory of the things for which you're grateful for. Let them percolate through your mind and calm your body. Think of five things you're grateful for. Five things, people, or places that matter to you. See if you can engage in an act of kindness today. Notice if you're being pulled toward kindness for a stranger, more than someone close to you, or vice versa. Either way, offer your kindness with no strings attached. No need for recognition. Truly, just notice the completeness and fullness of letting go, of needing anything back. Bring to mind someone for whom you're grateful for. Someone who has influenced you positively. Perhaps they're a protector, or benefactor, loved one, mentor. Someone for whom you're grateful. And savor this image of this person, or the memory that you have of them. And try to allow the image of this person to be held by all the cells of your body. Not just in your mind, but throughout your entire person. Savoring this feeling of gratitude for this individual. Notice what happens in your emotions and in your body when you do this. And at any point during your day, see if you can reflect upon one important thing you've learned today, or maybe yesterday. One important thing that you've learned. Feeling gratitude for having learned this new thing. Today, can you let someone know that you're thinking of them? Sending a card? Calling someone? Writing a note? Sending a text or an email letting them know you're thinking of them. Expecting nothing in return. Just sharing your appreciation and acknowledgement of this person. And at some point, see if you can sit quietly and allow a sense of peace to enter your heart. Perhaps lighting a candle. Creating a grateful intention. Settling into this sense of peace. Allowing the sense of peace to enter your heart. Residing in this space of gratefulness for a few moments. And forming the intention to show up absolutely wholeheartedly to everything you do today. Noticing at the end of the day, if anything changed because of this intention to show up absolutely wholeheartedly. And see if you can make the decision to see your most challenging moments today as opportunities. What might be making itself known or available to you in hard times? How can you cultivate even small sentiments of gratefulness for the gifts that come to you with struggle? Seeing your most challenging moments today as opportunities. And see if you can turn all of those waiting moments of the day into moments of heightened awareness. If you're waiting in line, waiting in a meeting, waiting to get somewhere. See if you can turn these moments into moments of heightened awareness. Try to be fully present in these times of blessings that might be in disguise. The blessings and protections that are around you. Notice at the time in between things, there's a huge gift that you can enjoy. And if you share a meal with other people today, ask each person to share something for which they're grateful. Maybe even two or three things for which they're grateful. If you're eating alone, bring to mind something for which you are grateful for and dedicate your meal in gratefulness. Friends, thank you for joining me in our continued work of gratitude in our daily living. As a reminder, if you wish to take a deeper dive into the airtime page, you can engage in community chats, posts, discussions, comments on a movie or book review. Hey, add your own. I'm also working on a new discussion forum called Deconstructing Faith. This is where I go back to check out the proverbial Kool-Aid that I was happy to consume and work through some of what has pushed many of us to feel this need to be spiritual but not religious. We'll reach out, post, chat, keep building our airtime community. Hey, much love all.