The Quiet Strength of Gratitude

[00:00:03] Speaker A: Welcome to youo Odyssey Podcast, where your guides, Tara and Karen invite you on a transformative journey toward wholeness and personal growth. Each week we'll discuss topics related to the human experience and offer insights to help you along the way. Please note this podcast should not replace medical care or advice. We are not licensed health care professionals or mental health therapists. If you enjoyed today's episode, subscribe so you don't miss out on our future discussions. So explorers, let's dive into today's episode. [00:00:53] Speaker B: Hey explorers, it's Tara. Karen and I are so glad you pressed play today. Before we dive in, how are you holding up right now? Take a breath with us because November is here. The leaves maybe they're turning where you are. Not entirely sure that's true here for us, we're talking about the quiet strength of gratitude that grounds us when life is anything but easy. Lazy, but not the shiny kind you're told to plaster on for appearances. For a lot of us, gratitude has been taught as a duty or even a performance. Smile, say thank you and don't complain. Even when we're struggling. That kind of forced thankfulness or bypassing doesn't actually anchor us. Today we're exploring when it's real and honest can quietly ground you in the middle of life's chaos. It's not about faking positivity, it's about finding what sustains you. We'll walk through this redefinition of gratitude, its quiet strength, and how we can integrate gratitude into our stories. And as always, there'll be a question of the day that'll spark a little conversation and a quote to carry with you this week. Let's dive in. [00:02:18] Speaker C: I just love when we get together to begin a new month of theme because there's all these ideas still popping in my head. [00:02:29] Speaker B: Yes, yes. [00:02:31] Speaker C: I love the idea of gratitude not being that thing that you're putting on, but something that wells up inside of you. Something that's like to ground you in the abundance of you regardless of what the external world is showing you in this moment. [00:02:46] Speaker B: Yes, especially now more than ever, gratitude has been distorted by myths. I was trying to do three, but I ended up with four. So whatever. Here we go. Gratitude equals forced positivity. Like always putting on a smile. [00:03:07] Speaker C: I don't have rubber pillar facing feeling like you have like. It's like saying like, thank you for, you know, the flagellation. Thank you for the beating, you know. [00:03:20] Speaker B: Oh my gosh, isn't that a song like smile even though your heart is breaking or something like that. [00:03:26] Speaker C: Yeah, yeah. [00:03:27] Speaker B: Gratitude is toxic positivity where the phrase just be grateful is used to shut down genuine struggles. [00:03:37] Speaker C: I think a couple years ago when I first started diving into the concept of gratitude in my life, there was probably one or two times where I might have even said that to someone who came to me and said, this is going on. And I said, well, there's always a silver lining. Not necessarily to bypass their pain. I definitely think trying to come from a place of love and concern and just saying there's another way to feel or think about the story. [00:04:05] Speaker D: Right. [00:04:06] Speaker C: But I can see how that would really piss people off. [00:04:09] Speaker B: Interesting that you say bypass because. Skipping over our disappointment because if we don't, we don't look thankful enough. [00:04:21] Speaker D: You. [00:04:22] Speaker C: Know, don't do it for anybody else. [00:04:24] Speaker B: Yeah. [00:04:24] Speaker C: But yeah, no, you gotta go through this cycle of feelings. [00:04:27] Speaker B: Right. [00:04:28] Speaker C: We have to feel our feelings. [00:04:29] Speaker B: And then finally gratitude sometimes gets tied to silencing yourself. As if naming what hurts means you're ungrateful for what you do. [00:04:38] Speaker C: You have. Well, that makes me sad. [00:04:44] Speaker B: Yes. Oh my goodness. It's the boat. [00:04:47] Speaker C: I can see that this is going on in my life and it's challenging and it hurts my heart. Or pivot to a state of gratitude. [00:04:55] Speaker B: For these other things. Right. [00:04:57] Speaker C: They can all exist. [00:04:58] Speaker B: Yeah. [00:04:59] Speaker C: Oh, wow. [00:04:59] Speaker B: And here's the truth, explorer. Gratitude isn't always loud or performative. It doesn't have to be a big show for anyone else. Gratitude can be quiet, it can be steady, it can be deeply personal. The difference is this. I should be grateful. Often feels heavy, shame filled and disconnected. Right. Shoulda, woulda, coulda. I choose to notice what sustains me, feels grounding. It makes space for both the hard and the hopeful. It's an invitation, not a demand way. [00:05:45] Speaker C: To be about anything. It's just the way that you feel in the moment. [00:05:51] Speaker B: Being present. [00:05:51] Speaker C: I think staying present with how you feel and not judging it or criticizing it or trying to morph it into something else because you think it means something. [00:06:02] Speaker B: Yeah. Gratitude doesn't erase our feelings. It anchors us in them. It's not a mask. It's a practice of noticing what helps you stay rooted when life is anything but rooted. Let's explore this quiet strength of gratitude and how it works like an anchor during these difficult seasons. Gratitude doesn't erase the storms we're facing, but steadies us in the middle of them. It's the weight or the anchor that keeps us from drifting completely off course when the waves are high. [00:06:38] Speaker C: I feel like gratitude. [00:06:39] Speaker B: Right. [00:06:40] Speaker C: Sits on one End of the teeter totter. [00:06:43] Speaker B: Oh, I love that visual here. [00:06:45] Speaker C: And it's balancing out whatever that challenge. [00:06:49] Speaker D: Right. [00:06:49] Speaker B: Difficulty is. [00:06:51] Speaker C: And it's like, it's not. It's not saying challenge, get off the teeter totter, because then gratitude's gonna fall. [00:06:56] Speaker B: Right. [00:06:57] Speaker A: Right. [00:06:57] Speaker C: But it's, like, keeping it steady. Like, okay, I'm also here. And we're balanced. [00:07:03] Speaker B: Practical ways this shows up. Is naming just one thing that roots or sustains you? Karen mentioned a few earlier. Yeah. Just. Just. Oh, yeah. And Karen's in that advanced class. She was like 15 minutes of, what are we talking about, girl? We just got here. Yeah. No, but it could be as steady breath, a moment of laughter, a safe space, a warm meal. Because these things that we consider simple are gifts. [00:07:38] Speaker C: Those ones are the biggest. When you look back in 30 years, you're like, oh, yeah, I love that feeling. I love that simple joy. [00:07:49] Speaker B: We can allow gratitude to be small, sacred, and imperfect. Just thanking our bodies on the days that we feel tired. Gratitude doesn't have to be grand. It can be a whispered acknowledgment of what's carrying you. I know those nights when I don't sleep as well as I would like and the tiredness creeps in. I will verbally say, thank you for the energy to get through this day. Thank you for the strength to do whatever it is else that I need to do. And I'm like, that shifts. Everything's like, okay, mind over mind over body. Come on, body. We. We're gonna tap into the reserves, and we'll keep moving. And we're grateful for this. Right. [00:08:32] Speaker C: And additionally, if your body's like, saying, I'm tired, then maybe it's a noticing of like, oh, thank you for helping me realize that I can actually shift my schedule. Just go for a peaceful walk or whatever it is, you know, taking that 20 minutes. Just being grateful that your body spoke to you and you were listening. [00:08:55] Speaker B: Yeah. And we can practice gratitude that holds both joy and pain. I'm grateful I had her. Even as I grieve this loss. This kind of gratitude doesn't cancel out our pain or our sorrow. It honors it while also knowing, noticing the gift that existed within it. It's the both. And I mean, right? [00:09:19] Speaker C: There's light and dark, yin Yang, flow and everything. Energy is constantly moving, and things are multiple things. [00:09:29] Speaker B: Yeah. Recognizing gratitude builds resilience without demanding perfection. You don't have to be thankful for everything. You don't have to get it right every day. Gratitude isn't the finish line. It's the steadying practice. It's the pacesetter. [00:09:48] Speaker C: Yeah. It's the noticing those small moments of noticing one thing. Like, look how. Hold on for a second. Have you noticed that you've been breathing this entire time and you haven't been thinking about it? Your body does that for you. Like got this beautiful inhale, exhale, that's happening. This give, receive kind of energy. And you haven't been trying to do it. It's been naturally happening. And I think oftentimes when we get out of our own way and get out of our head, we can allow for the ebb and flow of our lives to occur without intense attachment to the surface circumstances. [00:10:31] Speaker D: Yeah. [00:10:32] Speaker B: So, explorer, we invite you to take a moment to pause and ask yourself, what's one small thing? Because gratitude isn't a concept. It's a powerful. It becomes powerful when we practice it every day. Yes. [00:10:48] Speaker C: Practice it as like a muscle building. [00:10:50] Speaker B: And then. [00:10:51] Speaker C: And then it's there for you. You always notice something that you're grateful. [00:10:55] Speaker B: For, even though it's so simple. Practices. Apparently in this episode, I'm on fours because it's not three again, but okay. Is journal. Is this good too? Gratitude practice is. Is journaling where we write down the one or two moments each day that remind you you're still being held, you're still here. [00:11:21] Speaker C: That can be first thing in the morning. Morning, or when it occurs to you, or before you close your sweet little eyes at night. Whenever it feels good, just know. And you can say it out loud or inside your head, but there's something right about that act of writing it down. Kind of, you know, deepens your connection to it. [00:11:38] Speaker B: And then there's prayer or meditation. Centering gratitude is part of reflective rhythms. [00:11:46] Speaker C: The state of gratitude is very. A peaceful moment. [00:11:53] Speaker B: You could do like voice memos where you speak the gratitude out loud, capturing what you're noticing in the moment. So that could look like saying it to a friend or saying it aloud to yourself. But like, oh, I am grateful for the sun on my skin. Like, I am grateful for this blue sky. [00:12:11] Speaker C: I love the idea of the challenge, you know, in hopes that you have a voice memo kind of app on your phone. Taking that out and just because you. [00:12:19] Speaker B: Can keep editing, take it out, you. [00:12:22] Speaker C: Put todays and then you go into it tomorrow. And then you just keep adding on to it. And then at some point listen back. [00:12:29] Speaker B: To all of the things, all of the things you were grateful for. And then there's spoken word affirmations. Letting gratitude move through our Body and our voice, not just our thoughts. Yeah. [00:12:44] Speaker C: Speaking it out now. Sitting with it. How it feels when you put a hand on your heart. [00:12:48] Speaker B: Right. [00:12:49] Speaker C: And you say, I'm so grateful for whatever it is. It can be a person, it can be a place, it could be memory, it could be electricity, wi fi, water, family. Just really feeling into it. Yeah. [00:13:06] Speaker B: And there are ways that we can model gratitude. So instead of pushing others to say thank you, simply show what it looks like to pause and notice. Gratitude is one of those things that's often caught more than it's taught, whether it's in our workplace, in our friendships, in our communities, in our homes. Have you heard that phrase before? Because your brain did a thing. [00:13:35] Speaker A: Caught. [00:13:35] Speaker B: More than it's taught? Some. We are so focused on telling people that if you just model the thing, like, say thank you. Like, I don't understand why I'm saying thank you or apologize, especially when we're talking about our kids. It's like, well, if you'll never apologize, why are you making me just hollow? [00:13:57] Speaker C: Gotcha. [00:13:58] Speaker B: So it's the absorption. Yeah. Instead of teaching it. Yeah. Gratitude doesn't have to be grand to be real. Thank you for this cup of tea is just as sacred and powerful as thank you for this opportunity. When we let our gratitude be small, it becomes more sustainable, more honest, and more deeply woven into our stories. [00:14:26] Speaker D: Co author. [00:14:27] Speaker B: Yeah, I was a gratitude co author. I love that. [00:14:30] Speaker C: The noticing, right, too. [00:14:32] Speaker B: It's the noticing. Yes. [00:14:34] Speaker C: It's paying attention and being able to notice it in the moment. So even to yourself, you can sort of whisper or speak a little. [00:14:41] Speaker B: Oh, thank you. [00:14:42] Speaker C: That was awesome. Like, on my walk, see the leaves changing. I'm just like, believe you are just brightening my day. [00:14:51] Speaker B: Yeah. I have a song that captures what we've been exploring. This gratitude that is raw, imperfect, and honest. The song is thank you by Alanis Morissette. Ah. [00:15:09] Speaker C: There's so many good ones. I wonder which one's gonna be this time. [00:15:16] Speaker B: Check out this week's song on the YO Podcast playlist on Spotify. That was a beautiful wave of gratitude to ride. [00:15:30] Speaker C: It really was. What I was noticing was how the vibe of the song juxtaposed the power of her voice. [00:15:40] Speaker B: It's like this saying. [00:15:42] Speaker C: But she's also really, like, digging in on the. [00:15:45] Speaker B: It's the raw, it's the gritty, for sure. The song, the lyric is like, thank you, consequence. Sometimes we aren't grateful for the lessons we learned, for the choices we made. For, like, oh, how I chose this way and this is the consequence. But now I'm grateful for the consequence. Now I can choose differently moving forward. Right? [00:16:08] Speaker C: Because that's part of how we learn. [00:16:12] Speaker B: We're not always thankful for the bad and the ugly. All of it is part of the story. [00:16:16] Speaker C: And you gotta sometimes try multiple things to figure out what is true for you and what works for you. [00:16:23] Speaker B: So explore. Maybe you notice something stir in you. An image, a memory, or just a sense of stillness. That's the quiet strength of gratitude. Which leads us to our question of the day. [00:16:37] Speaker C: I did also want to. [00:16:38] Speaker B: Oh, go ahead, line. [00:16:40] Speaker C: I wanted to point out about how good it feels to finally forgive. [00:16:43] Speaker B: Both of us said, mmm, yeah, like. [00:16:46] Speaker C: The gift that you give yourself when you forgive someone else. [00:16:52] Speaker B: Right? [00:16:52] Speaker C: And having gratitude for that release is just really beautiful. [00:16:56] Speaker B: All right, okie dokie. What is one quiet gratitude you can name today? The kind that doesn't need an audience. [00:17:06] Speaker C: I am grateful for my senses and how they help me to experience the world in such a beautiful way every day. Grateful for my senses. [00:17:20] Speaker B: I am grateful for my creativity and how it shows up in traditional places like writing or speaking, but how it also shows up in, like, decorating a tablescape or rearranging a room and seeing the possibilities that are available or planning out content for your odyssey. I'm grateful for that. [00:17:48] Speaker C: That's beautiful. [00:17:50] Speaker B: Manifesting all of the ladies, answer the question of the day for yourself. Write it, share it, keep it. Practice private. At the end of the day, naming the quiet gratitude is what matters. [00:18:04] Speaker C: There's such power in that that it's not just pause, but it's the stillness, noticing, taking a moment. It's the actual reverence of that act, I think is really powerful. [00:18:16] Speaker B: Today's quote is from Aesop. Okay. Gratitude turns white. What we have into enough. [00:18:27] Speaker C: I mean, that's the whole principle, the law of abundance. The whole principle behind it is that I am abundant now, in this very moment, if I have one thing that I can notice means I have all the things right. [00:18:42] Speaker B: It's just. [00:18:43] Speaker C: It's an opening to the reality that we are everything that we need. [00:18:51] Speaker B: Explorers, gratitude isn't always loud, but it's strong. We'd love to hear from you. Share one moment of quiet gratitude with us on Instagram at your odyssey life. Whether that's in a dm, a comment, or tagging us in your story, thank you for journeying with us today. Don't forget to share your quiet gratitudes with us. We'd love to hold space for for them. Until next time, stay grounded. Stay gentle and keep anchoring yourself in the quiet strength of gratitude. [00:19:22] Speaker C: I feel like this is a call to a gratitude movement. Let's all put our gratitudes in there and acknowledge them with and for each other. I love that call to noticing and to sharing it. I think that enhances that. Spanish thanks Explorers for sharing your gratitude, for sharing your time, for being here with us with an open heart. We love you so much and we'll see you next time. Take good care. [00:19:53] Speaker D: Thank you to Queenies in Downtown Durham for the use of their community podcast studio and for welcoming us so warmly each week. We'd like to give a shout out to Coco Cinnamon, the birthplace the of of 1023 Media and the yo podcast. Please support your local women owned minority owned coffee shop in Downtown Durham. Brought to you by Durham based 1023 Media, a heart centered woman owned multimedia company. [00:20:31] Speaker C: Sat.