There's many highlights from my year that i'll be forever grateful for. Welcoming our third child, Bodhi is top of the list. Who, like his name sake, has been a constant source of inspiration for the entire family. Inspiring joy, compassion, patience (mostly) and love.
Having a baby puts a strain on any family, but strain builds muscle, and we've become stronger because of it.
The process of entering one of our younglings into the world is a hefty undertaking. And one that earned my wife the title "Warrior wife." Not only because of the physical endurance she showed throughout complications, but because of the mental strength too. She maintained a positive attitude that anyone would aspire to achieve under the circumstances.
With two other Children awaiting the arrival of the new baby, we knew that the disruptions to routines and shared attention had a possibility of causing challenges. But our 2 other children have adapted so well, due to their resilience, positive attitude and because of me and my wife's parenting style that focuses on our children's emotions as a priority.
All babies come with a difficulty level ranging between medium to insanity. But by knowing how quickly this time goes by, it's easier to stay present and recognise this time as fleeting, trying to enjoy as much of it as possible.
Why gratitude is important:
Since becoming aware of mindfulness, I've tried to practice gratitude more regularly. But In 2021 I feel like I was able to put the words together to better express myself, both from articulating my thoughts through creative writing, and through general practice.
When you practice gratitude, you condition the mind to be in a state of positive awareness. When gratitude becomes a habit, the subconcious becomes more adept at recognising positive experiences that elicit gratitude. By putting gratitude in the driving seat, the subconcious will identify and steer the individual into choices that continue to feed that gratitude.
Extremist spiritualists present this as the universe, or God, blessing the individual with bountiful gifts. But It's not mysterious voodoo bullshit, it's psychology.
Tony Robbins, millionaire and happiness cult leader, uses this anolagy. There's an item of clothing you want, so you think about it often. Suddenly you start noticing that same item of clothing on other people every time you leave the house. This works the same way as gratitude. Once you make it a habit, you automatically recognise opportunities to create create gratefulness.
I know 2022 will present our family with lots of opportunities to continue to be grateful, and I hope they do for yours as well.
jacobvanloon
germansingergirl
annaxmalina
tangentwithtanner
janainaart
