Recently, I was interviewed by Christine Jurisich, founder of Retreat ReflectRenew about my 12+ year gratitude practice. My gratitude journey was not very pretty at the start but has grown to be a beautiful way of life. It has taken a bit of courage to share my story to ummmm, God, and everybody! But sharing I am, in hopes that others will find peace.
For those of you that prefer a written transcript. Here’s the transcript if the interview:
Transcript
Christine:
Hello, My name is Christine Jurisich, founder of Retreat, Reflect, Renew, a Christian retreat ministry. In our retreats, I like to invite people to try new spiritual practices. Today, I’m excited to talk about trying a gratitude practice with artist Shannon Grissom. She has been posting her gratitude on social media for the past 12 years and we are now featuring her gratitude posts on our social media. Welcome. First, tell me about your gratitude practice. What is your practice?
Shannon:
It all started back in 2009 when my niece challenged us on Facebook to post gratitude thoughts for the entire month of November. The timing of the challenge was perfect as I really needed to shift my attitude. At the time, I was not feeling very grateful for anything. My husband had been in a bad accident that left him disabled, and I became a full-time caregiver. As a result, my artwork and business suffered. We lost our home and went bankrupt. It was a devastating time for us.
So each day that November I searched for something to be grateful for, and posted it on Facebook. Sometimes, gratitude came easily. Other times the practice was quite a struggle.
I focused on states of being rather than stuff, for I learned that stuff comes and goes, but states of being are eternal. For example, I was grateful for my husband’s great attitude. He was so happy just to be alive! I was grateful for the way the light fell on the curtains. I was grateful for the purr of our cat. Stuff like that. This practice really helped me focus on the good. November came and went, but I continued my posts and practice, and 12 years later I continue to start each day looking for the good, appreciating it, and sharing it with others.
Christine:
You hear about having an attitude of gratitude, but the research doesn’t support that working. I know that author and researcher Dr. Brene Brown’s research shows the people who experienced joy and gratitude the most were the ones who actually had an intentional practice. With 12 years of research and 11,000 pieces of data, she found that gratitude without practice is like faith without works – it’s not alive. How did you find this to be true?
Shannon:
I agree with Dr. Brown. It IS a practice. It takes a commitment and well, practice! Here’s how it evolved. When I first began my gratitude posts, I would simply post gratitude sentiments without pictures. Over time, my practice evolved, and I began to combine my gratitude search with my daily walks. It’s a sort of walking mediation where I search for scenes that inspire me.
Now my process is a bit more involved: First, I walk and snap photos of anything that inspires me. Once home I search for a photo that speaks to me. Next, I look and listen to the scene. What is it revealing? What can I find that I appreciate? Usually, the physical scene is a metaphoric representation of a state of being. Finally, I share my post on social media.
Some mornings, I am instantly filled with gratitude. Other days, I scan the picture and get nothing. Nothing! I’ll admit on a tough morning it can sometimes take me half an hour to find gratitude. And I don’t always find it where I’m looking. I have come to realize that there are some situations where I will never find gratitude. I have learned to search elsewhere when that happens.
Bottom line: my practice involves a daily search for something wonderful that I can share with others.
Christine:
Brother David Steindl-Rast – one of the co-founders of Gratefulness.org refers to his gratitude practice as STOP, LOOK, GO.
Shannon:
Yes! And I would add the word, listen. I’ve even got a post-it on my computer with that very word! Maybe it’s the artist in me but I am so easily distracted by the visual. I need to quiet my monkey mind and listen.
Christine:
Your postings cover a wide range of things to be grateful for – communication, vulnerability – you stretch me… some things I’m thinking, I don’t want to be grateful for that!
Shannon:
Sure, sometimes it hurts, and it sure is scary but I am truly grateful for vulnerability. It allows me to paint or write what is in my soul as if no one is watching/judging. Including myself! Allowing folks to really see me has not been easy but it is so with it. Vulnerability is the vehicle for authentic Divine expression.
Christine:
In my retreats, I talk about gratitude as a cycle of grace and gratitude: Receiving God’s grace and responding in gratitude. This has helped me learn how to be grateful during the worst and darkest of times. It’s not about waiting until everything works out. Is there a moment that sticks out with you when you were at your lowest point and your practice helped you?
Shannon:
Yes! If I waited till everything worked out I’d seldom be happy.
One that comes to mind is my art show meltdown I had not too long after my husband’s accident. I had arranged for someone to take care of my husband so I could participate in an art festival. I went in counting on good sales and positive cash flow. However, very few people attended, my sales were dismal, and I took a huge loss on the whole endeavor. I arrived home tired and broken. All the not-good-enough stuff played in my head like a broken record. Normally industrious and tidy, I didn’t even feel like unpacking all of my gear. All I could feel was pain.
The next morning I had an emotional hangover and when I searched for gratitude, I couldn’t find it. I felt so defeated. I tried to paint but ended up throwing the work away. I worked on writing some music but it was too dark and I didn’t want that stuff out there. Finally, I realized I was grateful for my creativity. It helped me release the pain.
In this case, it took me a good part of the day to go from painful to grateful. I believe it was my continued practice that helped me make the shift. Otherwise, I might have just stayed on the pity pot, and that is a sad place to live.
Christine:
What would you say to someone in the middle of a dark time right now – a lot of people have suffered so much loss as a result of the pandemic – What are your encouraging words or tips on finding a gratitude practice that speaks to them?
Shannon:
It’s not easy to find the light during the darkest times, but I’ve found that if I am willing to go search for it, the light will appear. I just need to take the first step. Really, I just need to be willing to be willing and a path will be shown.
Christine:
Brother David Steindl-Rast says Life can be seen as a constant invitation to gratitude. It’s a choice. And we have all the tools we need. Thank you. I’m excited to be inspired by your gratitude postings on our Facebook and Instagram.
Shannon:
Thanks for having me!
Visit RetreatReflectRenew for more information on their ministry.
To develop your own gratitude practice check out my online workshop: Today I Am Grateful 26 Day Gratitude Experience