A Season of Gratitude: Beginning 2022 with a Sense of Abundance
January 3, 2022
YWCA Minneapolis is a community where many find a sense of togetherness, encouragement, warmth and friendship. As we navigated the multiple crises of the past year, we’ve relied on one another to keep each other well and resilient.
“This a wonderful day. I’ve never seen this one before.” — Maya Angelou
Benefits of Expressing Thanks
To end 2021 on a thankful note and start 2022 with a sense of abundance, we decided to dedicate the last part of the year to A Season of Gratitude. Gratitude is thankful appreciation for what we have. Expressing gratitude reminds us of the amazing people, places, things and circumstances that make up our lives instead of focusing on what we lack. Consistently practicing gratitude can help us: improve our immune systems, lower our blood pressure, sleep longer and feel more refreshed.
“If you concentrate on finding whatever is good in every situation, you will discover that your life will suddenly be filled with gratitude, a feeling that nurtures the soul.” — Rabbi Harold Kushner
Recognizing the Good in Our Lives
A gratitude practice can create higher levels of optimism, happiness and generosity. The more we practice gratitude, the more we recognize the good in our lives.Throughout the month of December, we infused moments of gratitude in our group fitness classes to help our members discover the physical and mental benefits of this practice. We also gathered inspiration, posted journal prompts and created a way for members to share notes of gratitude on our website.We are thrilled to share a few of those messages of gratitude below:
"I am so grateful for YWCA's teachers and the online groups. It has made a huge difference in my life." -Linda V.
“My body and mind are immensely grateful for the broad variety of virtual classes and the many wonderful fitness instructors who teach them.” - Marcia P.
“I am grateful for YWCA’s team for going above and beyond to help keep me healthy and keep this world seem a little bit normal during this challenging time. As always, I continue to be grateful for Kelli Klein and Joe Ede, for their past, present and ongoing support and inspiration to me!” - Dana G.
“I am grateful beyond measure to work with a team of people who care deeply about wellness, community and justice. It's a once-in-a-lifetime confluence of passions and I get to be in the middle of it all.” - Anonymous
Thank you to everyone who joined us for A Season of Gratitude! We wish everyone an abundant, happy and healthy 2022!Find More Resources on GratitudeBecome a YWCA Fitness Member