If the only prayer you ever say in your entire life is 'thank you,' it will be enough.

- Meister Eckhart

Two words. How could that possibly be enough?

Do this.

Sit still. In a quiet place. Take a few deep breaths.

Tell your racing mind:

For the next 2 minutes, I am just going to sit here and say, "thank you." You can continue racing around from one thought to another, bring up any memory you wish, draw your attention to whatever fear or anxiety you may be feeling. I am just going to keep saying "thank you."

Would you be willing to do this? For just 2 minutes?

Please do.

Then notice how you’re feeling. And do it again. And again. At different times in the day. When awful things happen. When you’re feeling frustrated, hurt, rejected. When you’re feeling wonderful, happy, free.

Thank you.

What is the benefit of doing this?

When we notice in a mindful way (i.e. without judgment, attachment or aversion) and then say, "thank you," we are taking our attention from the thing that we have noticed to the feeling of "thank you" in our own being.

We are not saying "thank you" for anything or to anything. Good or bad, pleasant or unpleasant, whatever we notice serves as a prompt, a catalyst, to invoke and allow the feeling of "thank you," which you may also call gratitude or appreciation. In other words, you allow your being to be filled with a beautiful, delicious, uplifting, smiling energy.

It doesn’t matter whether the thing you notice – thought, image, memory, sound, taste, smell, sensation in your body – is something that has unpleasant, painful or fearful associations. Nor does it matter whether it has pleasant, joyous, liberating or even breath-taking associations. The arousal of the feeling of "thank you," of gratitude or appreciation is independent of the story around the thing you notice, and even of the thing itself.

This is such a simple, non-threatening, yet enjoyable and liberating practice. You’ll be amazed and delighted at how you smile so effortlessly in the face of something that at first strikes you as repugnant. Over time, with more practice, you will find that you are less and less inclined to be preoccupied with the object of your observation, with the thing that is repeatedly preying on your mind’s attention. Instead, you will become more and more present to the joy that has always been bubbling inside you!

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Doing something small and subtle, yet meaningful, can make all the difference in someone's life. It can take a bad day and turn it upside down. Or it can make a person feel good when they were feeling off. Whatever the act, random acts of kindness most often make a person feel that they are appreciated, loved, and seen. Purchase a deck of Random Acts of Kindness cards and see what a difference you can make in someone's life. Random Acts of Kindness Decks are a gift of love.