May 2025

Savor Your Days with Gratitude and Mindfulness

Savor your days and seasons with gratitude and mindfulness. If you’re like me, time seems like it is flying by faster each day. It seems we were just toasting the New Year, and already spring blooms are here. Since GIVEjoy aims to inspire you to live life with purpose, intention, and joy – let’s explore how to infuse gratitude and mindfulness into your days and why it is beneficial.

Reflect a moment on this question:

Do you savor life or let everyday stresses control you? In other words, how mindful are you? (1)

I’d love to say I’m able to be present, savor each moment, and take daily stresses in stride. However, that is absolutely easier said than done. So, I set out to learn more about how to be more mindful and grateful, starting with the Mindfulness Quiz from UC Berkley’s Greater Good Science Center. Taking the time to answer 25 quick questions really helped me to better understand how much I practice mindfulness now AND how I can weave more of it into my days.

Fortunately, there are some easy ways to be more present and mindful. Here are two that have worked for me:

Walking Meditation: Focus on the sensations of walking, the sounds of your steps, and the feel of the air around you to calm your mind and quiet distractions
Savoring Walk: Get outside and walk, some place with plants and trees if possible. It can be a neighborhood street, park, or trail. Take time to notice what you see, hear, and smell.

For the last year, I’ve been walking in our neighborhood and taking time to notice one lovely tree. It evolves from season to season and continues to be simply beautiful. This simple ritual helps me to zone out distractions and remember to take time just BE, to breathe, and to notice.

These types of mindfulness practices have been linked to improved happiness, health, and mental well-being, per research from UC-Berkeley Greater Good Science Center. What great reasons to step away from your devices and get outside and walk!

If you have a teenager at home, you may have heard the phrase “touch grass” used in reference to getting out and doing things in the real world. The phrase “touch grass” is included in the Merriam-Webster dictionary.

Touch Grass:to participate in normal activities in the real world especially as opposed to online experiences and interactions – Merriam-Webster

It seems Gen Z understands the importance of mindfulness and nature. Dacher Keltner, a psychologist at the University of California, Berkley, would agree. In a New York Times article “How a Bit of Awe Can Improve Your Health, he said distraction is an enemy of awe. It impedes focus.

In closing, mindfulness is a tool we can use to reduce distractions. Some might say it’s as simple as walking in the park to be present, notice our surroundings, and be grateful.