Sunlit Gratitude

"In a sense we are all being invited to remember what at some level we knew in the innocence of our childhood, but have since forgotten or come to doubt, that light is woven through all things like a thread of gold." ~John Philip Newell

As the days pass, I feel a growing call to simplify. With each layer I release, my peace expands, and so does my heart. There is something about simplicity - the art of clarity, the quiet presence of what is essential. The quote above is one of my favorites, and it calls to mind the expression, "back in the day". I find myself reflecting on the time when life as a child at one point felt more basic, more open, more free.

But why did it feel that way?

That is something personal to sit with, maybe one might like to journal about... If I had to offer a simple answer (for myself), it's this: I carried less on my mind. There was more time to observe, to imagine, to create, and just to be. I wasn't weighed down by timelines or pressures or programming. Dreams could live in my mind's eye fully intact, whole and radiant, without being picked apart or made complicated. Life held a certain purity. A simple golden stillness. One that each individual has and is unique to their own rhythm.

Now I ask, how can one return to that simple clarity, even while holding the responsibilities as we grow? I find myself here, writing with sunlit gratitude. When the mind grows busy with heavy energy, we can guide it to pause. In that pause, we can return to ourselves, our simple selves. I like to imagine a quiet light glowing deep in my heart.

Then, I focus on my breath.

And in that breath, the awareness settles into the moment, the right now.

Everything else generating in our thoughts are just narratives. If we can get into the habit of pausing our thoughts, that little space can be freeing. Like the innocence of our childhood. It sounds so simple, right? After we practice this, overtime, it is a beautiful and simple thing. Maybe the narratives are creative and brilliant? Hang on to those, write them down. The more space we create through pausing, it leads us to more magical and intuitive beings. Would we begin to see the golden thread running through it all?

The light has never left us. It lives within us, steady, warm, and waiting. Waiting for you to pause and remember it. I find that with gratitude, it can help return to it. With presence, we can remember. And in remembering, we begin to become whole again, our original selves, shining softly with the light we've carried all along.

This summer season, gratitude is flowing through me like golden light. I feel the sun not just on my skin, but within me. It is steady, alive; its warmth moves through my breath, through my being, and radiates outward in quiet waves of love. I am holding space for light, for softness, for the beauty that surrounds and connects us. May this season bless you with gentle days, open hearts, and the knowing that you are deeply loved. We can be the the golden light in this world. Below is a short exercise if it helps for pausing.

I am always grateful for you,

SUNLIT GRATITUDE EXERCISE

When we want to pause and give our mind a small break, here is a simple exercise to try.

You can do it at work, school, or anywhere to bring your awareness back to center.

example

Use a writing tool, or practice in your mind's eye.

Create a swirling circle, slowly moving clockwise while just focusing on breath.

You can go back and forth over the swirling circle or just do it once.

Then extend lines out from the circle like sun rays.

With each line, think of something that you are grateful for.