Appreciating The Little Things

Hello and welcome to today's meditation.

Today's guided meditation is about appreciating the little things in life.

Before we begin,

I encourage you to find a nice safe place,

A place where you feel comfortable and relaxed,

A place where you have very minimal distractions,

A place where you can be fully present in the moment and allow your body to completely rest and relax.

If at any given moment your mind begins to wander,

It's okay.

Let's bring it back to this place,

This place where there are no distractions or any interruptions.

So let's begin.

I welcome you to this meditation.

Today we will be expressing gratitude for the little things in life,

The day to day gifts that often go unnoticed.

This meditation is best listened to in your favorite indoor room,

But can also be listened to anywhere.

We begin by calming the mind.

As you sit or lie down,

Become as comfortable as possible,

Allowing your mind to become more comfortable too,

Closing your eyes if you feel comfortable and start to focus on your breathing.

Breathing a bit more deeply than you usually do and exhaling a bit more slowly,

Just observing the breath.

This is a great way to bring the mind into a state of focus.

Take your time breathing.

Shifting your awareness from your breath back into your body,

Feeling the floor beneath you and thinking about the room or the space that you are in.

How,

How does it feel to be here?

What,

What is this place like?

Begin to take notice of the little things around you that you might take for granted as you go about your busy day.

Think of this room as a shelter,

A haven,

Keeping you safe from the outside elements,

Keeping you well protected and comforted and comfortable.

Watching the air on your skin and noticing what it feels like,

Warm or cold and appreciating the temperature in the air that surrounds you.

Noticing the sounds in the room now.

Perhaps you hear a ticking clock,

The hum of a fan,

The murmur of the voices you may or may not hear around you.

Maybe it's raining.

Maybe you can hear tiny conversations outside the room.

Maybe just pause this meditation for a moment or this recording or lower the volume if necessary as you observe.

And rather than thinking of these sounds as noises or distractions,

Lend some appreciation to them.

Thinking of each sound as an opportunity to explore your surroundings and become more mindful of all the moving parts that exist here.

Just listen.

Be present.

You may pause this recording again or lower the volume if necessary.

But I'm going to give you a moment here to listen.

Breathing deeply now and see what you can smell.

Go deep,

Uncovering the sense that may not really be present but then when you realize they exist here.

Inhaling through the nose as you pick up on the subtle aromas.

Perhaps you smell wood of the floor beneath you or the walls around you.

Perhaps you can smell plants or soil.

You maybe even notice other scents drifting through the window.

Just breathe,

Explore and appreciate this moment of mindfulness.

Now begin to extend your awareness to the outside of your immediate surroundings.

Think about your entire home and everything within it.

Bring to mind the things that you use every day to help your life run more smoothly.

Things like alarm clocks,

Refrigerators,

Sinks,

Closet,

Clothes.

See yourself going through a normal day but moving more slowly and more slowly through it to be more mindful.

Taking your time to get dressed,

Washing up,

Eating and working.

Imagine taking the time each day to express gratitude for all these modern conveniences.

Try not to dwell on any of the haves and have-nots.

Just simply appreciate every aspect of your daily experience.

Continuing to breathe deeply and setting an intention to move mindfully throughout each day starting now.

Extending your awareness even further and think about the outside world around you.

Thinking about the blue sky above and the trees that offer you a shade and the soil beneath your feet.

Thinking of the sensations of autumn with its deep rich colors,

The crisp breeze,

The perfect picture winter day complete with a warm cup of tea or coffee.

Being comforted by a fireplace.

Breathing in the dewy freshness of spring and watching the flowers bloom as the sun returns to the earth.

Think of the lazy,

Slow summer days soaking up the sun.

Savoring that sweet,

Ripe fruit and the cool,

Refreshing drinks.

Continuing to express appreciation for the changing sensations and the gift that each one brings.

It is easy to find gratitude for everything that runs smoothly in our lives.

But how about the bumps in the road?

We can be thankful for these little life lessons too.

The spilled milk,

The flat tire,

The endless grocery line,

And the little errands or minor annoyances that pepper our days.

Every mishap that offers us a chance to slow down,

A chance to live in the present moment,

And focus our attention on the matters at hand.

Imagine navigating these bumps in the road with grace,

Ease,

And effortlessly going with the flow,

Keeping a cool,

Calm head,

Adapting a come what may attitude.

Deep breath in here,

Pulling in the air deeply into the body,

And slow letting go of that breath as you release all of the stress.

Another deep inhale,

And slow exhale releasing expectation once again.

Slow breaths,

Letting go of anything that prevents you from experiencing gratitude.

Exposing all the blocks and letting them dissolve,

Breathing in that clarity,

Breathing in the relaxation,

Engaging with a peaceful,

Steady rhythm of your breath as you continue to invite these gratitude feelings into experiences.

In the wise words of author G.

K.

Chesterton,

When it comes to life,

The critical thing is whether you take the things for granted or you take them with gratitude.

Letting this statement sink in,

The critical thing is whether you take things for granted or you take them with gratitude.

Commit to turning all your favorite things and all your things you take for granted into gratitude.

Mindfully working through your life and making an effort to notice more,

To feel more,

To see more.

Continuing that deep breathing,

Integrating this idea and taking everything with gratitude.

Letting in this gratitude a moment longer.

Now,

Slowly become aware of your body once again.

Feeling the floor beneath you,

The air against your skin,

Hearing the sounds around you as you slowly allow your eyes to open,

Taking everything in.

This is your life.

You are here.

And as you continue your day or night,

Remember to always take everything with gratitude.

Understanding that the warrior inside of me sees and honors the warriors inside of you.

Thank you for joining me today in this meditation about appreciating the little things.

I truly appreciate you and I thank you again.

I am your host,

Katie Sermon.

Thank you.