I Turn to the Sky

I Turn to the Sky

For a large portion of my adult life I’ve been guilty of taking for granted my countless blessings. Sure, I was always aware that I had blessings, but I didn’t give them much more than occasional thought (usually around Thanksgiving). As I’ve gotten older, however, I have begun to understand the multiple benefits of fully recognizing my blessings and have made attempts at developing a formal gratitude practice. 

Even though I’ve struggled to stick to a gratitude practice with any level of consistency, one has recently emerged in my life. This practice is not something I heard about and decided to implement, nor is it something that I thought up one day and consciously decided to start doing. It just sort of… happened. 

The practice is really simple: when I become aware of one of my blessings, something I feel grateful for, or recognize a stroke of luck or good fortune, I look to the sky and express thanks. Sometimes I speak my thanks out loud, other times I say it inside my head, sometimes with a hand raised, sometimes not—but the intention is always directed to the sky. 

I’ve done this after returning home safely from a long trip, after nearly crashing my car on that muddy hill in Utah, after witnessing a beautiful sunset, or when stumbling upon an incredible scene to photograph. I’ve done it after completing a difficult task on my van, after an especially good night of sleep, when sunshine warmed my face on a cool day, and countless random times in between. Big, small, it doesn’t matter. When I recognize something I’m grateful for, am blessed by, lucky to have or happy to have achieved, I turn to the sky and give thanks. 

I’ve never been religious, but am aware that what I’m describing could easily be classified as praying, or speaking to God. While the practice may appear similar, none of this feels religious to me. I certainly don’t picture a large, bearded man in the sky hearing my words and nodding approvingly, and I don’t need it to be aligned with any group or belief system. I’m simply choosing to send my words into the sky because it feels right. If something, or someone is listening—great. And if no one or no thing is listening—also great. All I know is that expressing thanks to the sky feels really good.

Even with this new habit I’ve developed, I know there’s still plenty I continue to take for granted. And that’s okay. I don’t see this practice as helping me achieve perfection with my gratitude, but I absolutely see it helping me achieve progress. And that’s good enough for me.

“Gratitude is one of the most powerful human emotions. Once expressed, it changes attitude, brightens outlook, and broadens our perspective.” –Germany Kent

P.S. I’m curious, do you have a gratitude practice, or something similar, that you’re willing to share? Either way, I hope you had an amazing Thanksgiving and continue to be blessed throughout the holiday season and beyond. 

P.P.S. This photo was taken of a very friendly weaver located in a pueblo outside of Oaxaca City. He kindly gave his consent for me to take his photo and I returned the favor by sending him the final edits to use on his social media or website, if he chooses. I would be honored if they ended up being put to good use.