Morning Gratitude Reflection

It can be interesting to investigate the kinds of thoughts that usually occupy our minds when we first wake up in the mornings. Do we tend to jump out of bed as soon as our eyes open already running the day’s to-do list before our feet hit the ground? Do we linger on the edge of sleep reaching back to coax one more snooze from the night’s rest. What kinds of thoughts jump to center stage as waking consciousness emerges from sleep?

The practice of turning our thoughts towards gratitude first thing in the morning can help to set the tone for what follows through the day. You may enjoy considering the questions: am I grateful for this day, and if so, what am I grateful for about having this day? The answers that you find can help you to create a Morning Gratitude Reflection that you recite for awhile before getting up each morning.

I am grateful for this day

and for the chance to practice the Buddha’s path -

to work, to love,

to come to understand the way of things more deeply

and to move towards freeing this mind and heart from the causes of suffering.