“When I started counting my blessings, my whole life turned around.”
Willie Nelson

Dear Friends, Fans and SoulMates,
 

There are numerous sources we can go to for the scientific benefits of gratitude. Forbes, HBR, Psychology Today and more have written about studies linking a practice of gratitude with better self-care, better physical and mental health. Not surprisingly, there have been a surprising number of articles about the rewards of gratitude in 2020. Courtney Ackerman’s comprehensive article on the wide-ranging benefits of gratitude cites studies that are completed or underway. They include: reduced blood pressure, increased self-esteem, reduced materialism and many, many more examples. I have always liked real-life examples, too.

What’s that attitude?  Gratitude!

For many years I have admired the model, Petra Nemcova, who was vacationing in Thailand in 2004 when the tsunami hit the beach where she and her boyfriend, Simon Atlee, were having a romantic holiday vacation. Atlee perished, but Nemcova survived after clinging to a tree for eight hours, her pelvis broken in four places from the crush of debris against her body. How did she do it? She concentrated on everything that was good in her life. At one point she was even contemplating a beautiful button that remained on her tattered cover-up. 

“Even when you are going through tragedies, you can still focus on the positive.
When I was in the hospital and didn’t know if I would ever walk again, I told myself:
‘Well, I still have my eyes and ears.’ I lost my partner, but I still had my family.
You deal with hopelessness by being grateful.”
Petra Nemcova, Reuters
 

Nemcova established a charitable foundation, now called, All Hands and Hearts, in which she is extremely proactive, that centers on rebuilding schools in areas devastated by natural disasters. She believes in helping others, strangers, friends, family, and being grateful every day. So far, her foundation has constructed over 150 schools.

In the 2020 Holiday Season, one of the most challenging of our lifetime, it is even more important than ever, to fully experience the power of gratitude!

“This a wonderful day. I’ve never seen this one before.” 
Maya Angelou

What small things can we do if we don’t have a ton of resources?  This article from lifehack has 40 ideas!  A little goes a long way to your good health and another’s too.

How do you practice gratitude? How has it benefitted you? What is one thing you can commit to on a daily basis?  We’d love to hear from you.  Please send comments to Food For The Soul.  Thank you!

Be well, be grateful and be healthy!

Wholeheartedly,
Your Food For The Soul Team