The eight moments
This is my variation on a gratitude exercise that I’ve often returned to. It’s a way to allow feelings of sadness or fear to coexist with peace and joy. Over time it gently guides the mind to seek out life’s sacred moments.
The concept is simple. At the end of your day, think back and write down eight moments that you found beautiful in some way. Try to do this this for at least a week and observe how it gently changes your outlook.
A few of mine from yesterday were…
Watching magnolia petals fall in the breeze.
My first ever video-call with my grandmother in Australia.
The radio playing a song I hadn’t heard in years…for three minutes I felt twenty again.
Tips…
The moments need to be specific to this day.
Big ongoing gratitudes like having health, family and food are important…but you can’t use them for this exercise.
You will find eight. The last one can take ages but it will always be there. Some days you’ll have more.
The most difficult ones to remember are often the most profound.
Keep these moments written in a notebook and over time you’ll have a diary of gentle memories to look back on.