Today’s Discovery: Burgess Park

Are you about to go for a run? On the bus? Just waking up? Take a minute to stop and consider what you are grateful for today.

I start each morning with a meditation, journaling, update my gratitude diary and finally some exercise, to help me be refreshed, revitalised and ready to start the day.

Today I was fortunate to finish the gratitude series on calm.com app. I can’t recommend it enough! It opened my mind and changed my perspective on being grateful. It breaks down different ways to practice gratitude daily and ‘find fulfilment in the little things’. In one of the sessions, they mentioned having a gratitude stone as a daily reminder to consider and encourage gratitude. “What a lovely notion.” I thought as I set off on my run this morning.

I was running to Burgess Park a beautiful park in Peckham. As I was running to the park my route took me off the road onto a rocky path, I could feel the uneven ground under my feet. But instead of normal anguish or fear that the uneven ground may sprain my ankle, I was filled with childlike glee and excitement- so many rocks, pebbles and stones to choose from. “Which one do I go for?” I thought as I had a 360 turn and started hunting.

As I stopped to take a breath and take it all in. I realised how grateful I was not only to find a beautiful rock that would act as my daily gratitude reminder. But It made me grateful for the beautiful woodlands and nature I was running through. It made me grateful that google maps had taken me down this particular path. It made me grateful that I’d woken up with energy and listened to the meditation this morning. As otherwise, I would have mindlessly run along the same path complaining about the ground and not stopped. What difference would that have made to my run this morning? It made me wonder about the small things in life and how important it is to take time to stop and appreciate the wonders.

I encourage you to make gratitude part of your morning or evening routine and consider writing down or think about at least one thing each day you are grateful for – even if you’ve had a busy stressful day and you can’t think of anything. Start with your breath, the place you are, the clothes you are wearing and work from there.

I challenge you to start today, wherever you are, whatever you’re doing stop. Yes right now. Stop! Take a deep energy filled breath and consider what are you grateful for today?

Nadine x