Happy Thanksgiving! What are you doing for the holiday? I’m spending the 30 days around Thanksgiving taking an online course called Gratitude, Grace and a Month of Self-reflection.
It’s based on Naikan, a Japanese psychological system that encourages us to count our blessings. It takes about me about 30 minutes a day to complete the assignments, which are pretty eye-opening.
For instance, traditional daily Naikan practice asks us to examine these three areas of living:
- What have I received?
- What did I give?
- What troubles and difficulties did I cause?
So, here’s an excerpt of what a common list would look like (it’s not mine), but yours will probably be longer.
What I received
A warm house in the morning
Friends to run with
A healthy lunch
A fast computer/web access
A coffee shop to hang out in
What I gave
Money for coffee and a good tip
Started work on my financial plan
Made BLT sandwich
Made babysitter recommendation to neighbor
Gave a ride home to friend whose car is in the shop
Cooked dinner
Troubles and difficulties I caused
Didn’t send a check to a supplier, even though I said I would
Participated in gossip at lunch about a fellow nurse
Wouldn’t let my youngest child play computer games
Interrupted my wife while she was speaking at dinner
Used time at the clinic for two personal calls
Ignored my dog when he wanted to play after dinner
Wasted half my salad at lunch
Some of these Naikan exercises are serious and some silly, like yesterday when I did Garbage Naikan. I tried to think about what service I got out of everything that I threw away or recycled, like floss and coffee filters and bus tickets …and the list is endless because I’m supported by the whole universe.
As a nurse you have many opportunites to bless the lives of others. Making a difference while making a living is one of the most common reasons for entering the nursing profession. Doing Naikan will remind you of what you give, was well as what you get.
Remember to be specific and look for the details and be specific — the devil is in the details but so are angels 🙂 Write down the answers or type them or sketch them or speak them into a tape recorder and listen later.
Spend three times as long on the third question as the other two because that’s the most difficult one. (We like to think that other people are bothersome but we’re blameless!)
I plan to spend 45 minutes or so tomorrow doing Daily Naikan and answering those three questions. In my family we go around the table at Thanksgiving dinner and each person says what they’re grateful for. I’m always stumped but this year I’ll be ready.
Happy Thanksgiving!
Jebra Turner is a writer in Portland, Oregon. Visit her at www.jebra.com.
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