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charts. She discovered that most of her time was spent in work-related activities and not enough in adventure or seeing the peo- ple she loved. Drawing it up in the visual medium of charts helped her identify her life goals and see the changes she needed to make. Doubtless, we can all find bet- ter ways to utilize our assets.


Our Time


Practicing Gratitude by Kim Kane


Arianna Huffington, of New York City, founder of The Huff- ington Post, knows firsthand about having so many demands on our time that days feel rushed, which can increase our stress and negatively impact our productivity. She says, “On the flip side, the feeling of having enough time, or even sur- plus time, is called ‘time affluence’. Although it may be hard to believe, it’s actually possible to achieve.” Huffington rec- ommends simple steps like getting enough sleep and putting time limits on work and online activities. Belinda Munoz, a social change activist in San Francisco


Finding and doing what “lights us up” will bring us abundance.


~David Howitt


who blogs at TheHalfwayPoint.net, observes, “Time is neu- tral. We either use it wisely or waste it, so the onus is on us to make it an asset.” Munoz can both let go of stress and be more productive when she blocks out day parts. “When I focus, I shut out interruptions, stop feeling rushed and get my work done with ease,” she says.


Our Health One high-impact way to support personal health is to value food more, maintains Wann. “We need to spend more of our household budget for food, not less,” he says. “By rearranging both our household and national expenditures, we should give a higher priority to fresh, healthy food and a lower priority to electronic gadgets, shopping, cars, lawns and even vacations. Our overall expenses don’t have to go up, they just need to be realigned with our changing values. By choosing higher quality food and supporting better ways of growing it, we also begin to reshape the American culture,” he says.


Our Community The community, rather than the stock market, is the better source of real wealth—both personal and global—maintains Korten. “Your community economy is part of the glue that binds people together. It’s the key to physical and mental health and happiness.” Giving less control over our financial well-being to Wall Street and more to Main Street will help us think in terms of livelihoods, instead of mere jobs. For Korten, this equates to not only how we make money to live, but also how we live—valuing our homes, communities and natural environment.


Priceless social capital comes from investing our time and money in local communities. Korten observes how, when freely and wisely spent, these efforts can lower crime rates, make schools more productive and help economies


but to live by them. ~ John F. Kennedy When we live a life in gratitude and replace seeing what


A


is not working with what is, we feel a shift in the way we be- come. In a time when we expect all information and events to occur quickly and immediately, it is easy to begin judging what went wrong and not see all that is right. Living a life through the lens of gratitude takes practice.


Today, we are programmed to be busy. Often, the busier we are, the more we sense our value. The drawback is the loss of time needed to allow for those special moments that take our breath away. If we do not give ourselves some time during the day for contemplation, we risk losing our ability to find anything towards which to be grateful. Being grateful gives us peace. It takes what could be


seen as everyday, regular stuff and turns it into knowing that what we have is enough. Finding reasons to give thanks helps us to believe that even the smallest of ges- tures can change something as big as the world. A smile. An embrace that lets us know we are not alone. Watching a beautiful sunset. All are reminders of everyday moments that, when added together, create a life full of gratitude… if we pay attention. We are lucky. We have built right into the sched- ules of life a beautiful time of year that lends itself to the settling in that needs to occur. Fall, especially the latter part, seems to emulate exactly what it wants us to do. Nature becomes quiet and dims her colors as a show of solidarity for all that is around her. She wraps around us a blanket of comfort as the wind brings in what is to come. Take time this season to become present in all that


is. Watch for the twinkle of a small light illuminated by the reflection of the falling snow. Find meaning and purpose when gathering with those of importance. Seek common ground and be open to learning. Create a chal- lenge to live each day, answering these questions: Was I my best self? Did I allow for others to be theirs? Did I ap- preciate even the smallest of events and give thanks for what it gave to me? Did I live the life I wanted to today? Be forever grateful for the life being lived right now.


Give thanks for even the smallest of things... it will change everything. In Gratitude…


For more information about Minneapolis based freelance writer, Kim Kane and prac- ticing Gratitude, visit KimKane@tumblr.com or LivingLifeInTandem on Facebook.


natural awakenings November 2015 17


s we express our gratitude... we must never forget that the highest appreciation is not to utter words,


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