We all know that a gratitude practice has many benefits. I’d even bet that we all know a wide

variety of ways to practice gratitude. But, among those who practice gratitude regularly, how many of us direct our gratitude practice toward ourselves on a daily basis? Likely very few of

us.

We are grateful for our friends and families. For our jobs, our homes, and our vehicles. We are grateful for financial abundance, for vacations, for good food, and fun times. We are even, at times, grateful for blue skies, flowers, trees, and modern conveniences. But how often do we share our gratitude for ourselves, our bodies, and our health?

Generally speaking, among people whose health would be considered average or normal, very few include their health in their gratitude practice. However, for those experiencing a significant medical challenge, their health tends to be a part of their daily gratitude practice much more frequently in comparison.

You might look at that and say, “of course, that makes sense”, but the challenge we bring to you this month on the blog is to not wait until there is a health challenge before you put yourself and your health first in your gratitude practice. There’s no reason you and your health shouldn’t be first on your list of things to be grateful for every day. There’s absolutely no shame in putting yourself and your health first. It is not selfish... it’s actually quite self-less to do so because without good health we will struggle to enjoy everything else.

So, take some time each day to pause and give thanks for all the things about yourself, including your health. And if giving thanks for such things seems too hard, consider the phrase “this or better, thank you”, in which you offer thanks for yourself and your health as it is as well as for anything better that may come