Gratitude Challenge Day 9

This is an amazing experience. I remember walking through the forest at night, barefoot and blindfolded. What an amazing, character building experience. For today, I really encourage you to give this a try. Your senses will come alive! And really give you a different way of experience gratitude and awareness.

Here is Gratitude Challenge Day 9 (click). Have fun with it!

How did you do? I love using other senses than the dominant sight. It really got me out of my comfort zone. During my 10 minutes of gratitude blindfolded, I decided to do a sense meditation, starting with my sight and then moving into my hearing, smelling, touching and tasting. Then I blindfolded myself. Then gratitude for my sight was overwhelming. I gave thanks to my eyes, that I could see beutiful things, the sunset, the sunrise, the birds and my family. Then as I settled, I started to give thanks for all my other senses. I got up and started to just walk around a bit blindfolded and gave thanks for the earth and the senses in my barefeet as my feet and my sense of touch guided me past pine cones, walnuts and branches that could hurt my feet. It was an experience that always has me feeling different gratitude. 

Explore with us in 2013 through our various programs from ages 3-14 that will embrace each individual gifts and provide a safe place to express them and learn. http://www.naturesbackpack.ca

Gratitude Challenge Day 8

Today, take a moment to give thanks for the things in the world. To start from the sky and work your way down to the earth. To give thanks for the birds that fly in the sky, the air you breath down to the ground you walk on that gives nourishment to the food you eat. Take a moment to reflect on the things you have been thankful for so far and track how it is making you feel.

Have a great day of gratitude.

Gratitude Challenge Day 7

Today started as a tough emotional day, but as I think of my gratitude for the day, I am lifted in spirits. We all have those kinds of days and I allow myself to have them as a lot of healing can happen through grief. I am thankful though that it usually doesn't last long as I am finding it easier to find the things to be grateful for each day.

So you ready for day 7? I have been enjoying your emails you have been sharing with me. Keep it up. Here is Gratitude Challenge Day 7 (click).

At first I was hearing a lot of agitation with people and not a lot of thankfulness. I was one of them. But then as I started to change my own feelings and thinking of what I was thankful for, I began to hear it. 

I heard thanks come from friends on social media for sharing ideas, contacts and a joke here and there. I heard a woman giving thanks to a man who held the door open. I heard children saying thanks to each other. And I heard thanks given to teachers, professionals for advice, mentorship. And last night, while meeting new people doing great things, give thanks for the hard work, passing of a business card and giving gratitude for doing what they are doing. Was great to hear it from other people.
 


Coming in 2013, we have Young Explorers program for 3-5 year olds, After School Program for 5-9 year olds, and Chicks in the Sticks, a girls outdoor club for 9-14 year olds. For more information visit http://www.naturesbackpack.ca

Gratitude Challenge Day 6

Have you started feeling more grateful during the day. To see the great things that are going on around you? It is becoming easier to feel that gratitude isn't it? It is a mild day today, dampness in the air, with a slight breeze that allows the geese to glide into their V-formation. I will look forward to watching the birds dance and sing at my sit spot today.

Here is Gratitude Challenge Day 6 (click). Look forward to getting back together with you all.

Today, I felt humbled as I walked through the fields, mud clinging to my boots and each step getting heavier and heavier. I thought of the animals and how they do it, how do they go through the mud and not get it caked on their paws and hooves. So then I gave thanks to the weather today. Thanks for showing me how easy I have it, that I can stay in my house when the weather isn't nice and stay warm and dry. And that the animals endure the storms, the cold and the rain. 

As I sat under my spruce tree, I was thankful for the full branches as they kept most of the rain off me. Then I watched the geese fly by, appreciating the honking to each other, like they are building each other's spirits to keep going. Then a smaller bird with faster wings flapping sped by and noticed the ducks have migrated in for a stop over to our pond. How do they all fit on this little pond? As I watched them fly faster than the geese, I enjoyed watching them all fly together, like dancing in the sky. 

And one last thanks I would like to share. And that is to the rain. Many people don't appreciate the rain, but I am thankful for it fills our ponds, our aquifers and rivers so that our overwintering friends will be protected during the cold freezing winter months. So thank you. 

Coming in 2013, we have Young Explorers program for 3-5 year olds, After School Program for 5-9 year olds, and Chicks in the Sticks, a girls outdoor club for 9-14 year olds. For more information visit http://www.naturesbackpack.ca

Gratitude Challenge Day 5

Today will be an interesting one. Giving gratitude to people in your life. In the past year, I have learned how to communicate better with the people in my life, to be forthright and honest, and accept people where they are in their own life. The biggest lesson I have learned is to be open to other's opinions, that it is ok to disagree and most times a lot of knowledge and learning comes from it. The biggest gift I have been given though, is the gift of friendship... that I treasure dearly.

I look forward to hearing about your gratitude for the people in your life today. Here is Gratitude Challenge Day 5 (click). Have fun


I am very blessed when it comes to people in my corner. The people who are always there for me, no matter what, my family. I remember going through a tough crisis and my dad flew all the way from England to be with me and help me through it. So grateful for that. I also remember my freinds always being there for me when I need that shoulder to cry on, or someone to tell me straight what I need to hear and not what I want to hear. I am grateful for their honesty and love. And to the strangers who have helped me as well. To a couple with the same names as myself and my husband, who found my purse and returned it, money and all. To the stranger on the highway that told us our wheel was smoking on our trailer and we pulled over just in time before our wheel fell off. They are all around us, supporting and helping us. For that I give thanks. I hope you can all join me in that.

Coming in 2013, we have Young Explorers program for 3-5 year olds, After School Program for 5-9 year olds, and Chicks in the Sticks, a girls outdoor club for 9-14 year olds. For more information visit http://www.naturesbackpack.ca

Gratitude Challenge Day 4

How is it going? Are you feeling good? I am always surprised by some of the feelings that are provoked when I sit and give thanks to various things. Yesterday was a surprise for me. For today, take 10 minutes and enjoy today Gratitude Challenge (click). Enjoy.

Today on my way to my sit spot, I noticed new holes from an animal. I wondered who made them and looked for tracks. Gave thanks to my eyes for observing it and look forward to figuring out the hole mystery. As I walked closer to my sit spot. I felt a sudden urge of excitement. A feeling of giddy and joy welled up inside of me. Not sure where it came from, but I acknowledged it and let it flow through me. It was a wonderful feeling. As I scanned the forest before I walked in as I always do, there was a scent in the air that was new. It smelled musty and I thought perhaps the coyote is near by, or was earlier today. It made my senses sharper as I tried to see what other scents I could smell, but that was the most powerful one. 

As I settled in to my spot under a spruce tree, I closed my eyes. I could hear the geese honking away and flying. I heard the jay with their "jay, jay" call and in the far distance to the NW of me, I could faintly hear the red tailed hawk. I kept my eyes closed and gave thanks for all I could sense, feel, smell and hear. Then I fell asleep. 

When I awoke, I decided to take a different way back out of my forest sit spot. Looking for a walnut shell that the flying squirrels leave behind. They make a great conversation piece and wanted one for my friend. Instead I found 100s of white and a few black feathers. A bird had been eaten and found part of its carcass. I then gave thanks to this bird, for it gave up its life to sustain another. Sang a short song for it to rest in peace.  A great day that was filled with a lot of gratitude and thanks. 

Coming in 2013, we have Young Explorers program for 3-5 year olds, After School Program for 5-9 year olds, and Chicks in the Sticks, a girls outdoor club for 9-14 year olds. For more information visit http://www.naturesbackpack.ca

Gratitude Challenge 3

We got about an inch of snow last night. The first snowball fight of the year started when my husband opened the door, grabbed a hand-full of snow and threw the first one at me. Yes it was inside! That was it, we all grabbed our coats, boots, hats and mitts and ran outside for the traditional snowball fight kickoff. Was so much fun! Feeling thankful for that snow right now.

We are on day 3 of our challenge, how is it going? Here is Gratitude Challenge Day 3 (click). Keep sharing.

Today was a mix feeling day, as I thought of family members and friends. I was giving thanks to my family, as spread out across the globe as we are, we are still family and we will always support and love each other. The feelings were of gratitude, thankful and sadness. Sadness? Why was I feeling sad at being grateful for my family? Perhaps because we are so far apart and when I look at other families, I see how lucky they are to live so close together.  I embraced this sadness and gave thanks to it. It allowed me to inner track my feelings and where it was coming from. 

Then I turned my thoughts to my friends. To the ones that are no longer part of my life and to the ones who have stayed with me and to the new friends I have made in the last year. Thinking about them, I realized that they all have taught me one thing or another and gave thanks for their support, their arguments and their love. And as I look at the people whom I met online and have yet to meet, I give thanks to them and for the opportunity to meet them in the future. 

What kind of feelings were provoked for you? I was surprised by a lot of my feelings, were you?


Coming in 2013, we have Young Explorers program for 3-5 year olds, After School Program for 5-9 year olds, and  Chicks in the Sticks, a girls outdoor club for 9-14 year olds.  For more information, visithttp://www.naturesbackpack.ca.