I started my morning reading a
about former Olympian Amy Van Dyken’s rehab after she severely injured her spinal cord in June. She was one of those Olympians who I remember watching and admiring when I was young. Her positivity, upbeat attitude and gratitude for life in the aftermath of such an unfathomable accident are inspirational.
While making breakfast, I turned on NPR. After I got an update on the US, primarily focused on the riots in Ferguson, the Ted radio hour started. If you’re not familiar, I highly suggest checking it out at npr.com. The hour was about finding happiness. It featured different Ted talks on slowing down, getting rid of stuff, being grateful, and the effects of misfortune on long-term happiness.
The program touched me, especially after reading the SI article and listening to the news.
The Ted talk on gratitude was given by a Benedictine monk, David Steindl-Rast. I recommend it. He says that each moment is a gift, and he practices gratitude with stop. look. go.
Stop: we may miss the opportunity when we rush. Stop every so often.
Look: Open all our senses to discover the riches that are given to us to enjoy.
Go: Take the opportunity and go with it.
He also suggests that being more grateful makes people less violent, more willing to share, and more respectful of the differences in others.
I think I will try stop. look. go. in my life this week. We all have so many things in our lives to be grateful for, and I think the world deserves to have more gratitude.