Appreciation

Gratitude for What We have

Let’s spend a few minutes thinking about the things we appreciate in our life, at this moment. When I meditate on the things I am grateful for, I find it is easier to be positive the rest of the day. We can find things to be grateful for everyday! In this post I will share a few of the simple and easy things I like to think about when I am meditating to show gratitude.

Recently, a few of my herbs and house plants were infected with a bug. Stressed, I felt I had not done my best to care for these plants and stop the spread of infection. 

After talking to a few friends who work with plants about the problem, I was advised to use essential oils to make an organic and healthy pesticide. I have used jojoba oil for my skin and hair and it works well. I had some on hand so I decided to try it out on the plants.

Once I quarantined the three infected plants outside, I mixed water, jojoba oil, and lavender oil in a spray bottle and spritzed all the plants. The little black flies flew away once they were sprayed. After a few days of treating them once a day, I noticed there were hardly any flies or eggs on the plants.

Once the initial anxiety of finding an infection on my beloved house plants wore off, I was able to see the positives that came out of the crises and I was proud of myself for attending to their care and stopping the spread of the pest early enough to save the rest of my plants!

The Positives

The positives of the situation became clear to me after a few days. The waves of emotions had to die down in order for me to see them. If I had not been meditating near my plants and spreading appreciation to them, I would not have seen the pests before they spread further. 

For a few years I have been using Jojoba oil on my hair and skin, I can’t believe I had not thought of using it as a spray before! The oil and water mixture sprayed on my clean, dry hair worked so well! It made it really soft and calmed the frizz! Bonus, it smells really good!

Amazing things happen when we slow down and appreciate ourselves, our bodies, and what is around us. Give a little appreciation everyday to yourself, the living things around you, and the things that bring you joy.

Here are a few of the things I appreciate in my life.

The Body

The first thing I give gratitude to is my body. It starts with the breath and the feeling of breath flowing in and out. When the breath fills the belly, I say to myself, I am grateful for my breath, and then I let it out slowly. 

After a few more breaths in and out, I move on to other things I am grateful that my body can do, like hear the birds in the trees, smell white sage burning, and feel the softness of a wool blanket.

House Plants

When I meditate, I like to sit with my house plants in front of me. This spring, I planted a few of my favorite smelling herbs. A quick whiff of mint always puts me in a good mood!

Spending a few minutes appreciating the plants will help them grow, not only because of the extra oxygen from deep breaths, also because of the love and good vibes plants can pick up from their environment.

A Collection

Sometimes I feel down for no good reason. It just is a feeling! When that happens, I like to spend time with things that bring me joy and spend some time appreciating a collection. 

I am a Tolkien fan and also a fanfiction writer. I have a few illustrated versions of The Hobbit and a book of Fanart from the films made by artists on Tumblr. The illustrations are gorgeous and the story is comforting, I love looking at my books!

Appreciate the collection you have, if it is crystals that look cool, musical instruments you like to play, or mementos from places you’ve traveled.

Any release, physical or creative, is something to appreciate that you can do!

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