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This book captures hundreds of anonymous expressions of gratitude solicited from online contributors through the gratitude.is project. It also contains reflective essays from those affected by this project. Gratitude explores how the process of expressing gratitude can change how we see the world. Leading happiness research shows that keeping a gratitude journal can result in increased well-being and better health. Inspired by this growing movement, the book is a meditative space with illustrations, hand-made felt landscapes, videos, and a unique soundtrack by Buddhist monks.

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The little “book” that you’re holding now began life as an experiment. Inspired by the growing gratitude movement, we wanted to explore what happens if we made a space for that deeply reflective and personal practice in our often frenetic and cluttered online lives. So we cleared a little patch of digital land, and built a modest site at the gratitude.is address. Before the paint was dry, we threw open the doors, asking friends and family to move in and try it out. Their job was deceptively simple: we asked people to record three gratitudes a day for twenty-one days.

In the first few days, the practice came easily- we instinctively found gratitude for our families, for our friends and for our health, but we quickly learned that gratitude thrives in specificity. We hunted for gratitudes in the nooks and cracks of our lives—areas that are often overlooked or passed over. And it is in those spots that gratitude transforms, as a plant that eeks out a living in rocky soil might slowly reshape the landscape.

Day after day, as your gratitudes filled the site, we were amazed and humbled by what we saw. You were grateful for the most unexpected and delightful things: cabbages, Clearasil, and

Foreword

“Nothing is more honorable than a grateful heart”

-Seneca

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comedy. For us, this practice became a lens, a way to bring our disparate experiences of the world into focus. We found this lens could help us look deeply within ourselves and also look outward at the community that was growing around gratitude.is.

So what began as an introspective journey morphed slowly into an evolving statement of connection, a feeling that we were all, at different moments of the day, helping each other elaborate the specific details of life. The things for which we can all be collectively grateful. All thoughtful journeys have resting points, so here we are. And again, we’ve cleared a little patch of pixels to handcraft this little “book,” a work to express, to reflect, and to celebrate our small journey.

Inspired by the natural beauty of Northern California, Liz’s artwork plays with distance and perspective to transform this often harsh and rugged landscape into meditative scenes that inspire and invite contentment. Each felt construction was cut by hand, and we feel the pieces evoke a sense of rest and reflection that compliment the gratitudes you have shared with us.

These landscapes evoke the lens that gratitude imparts. Imagine how resting for a midday picnic and perhaps a few cups of wine lend a soft focus to the remainder of your journey.

This work was also inspired by our travels. In these pages, you will find a healing mantra that Olga recorded with monks at the Institute of Tibetology in Sikkim, India. We felt that this benediction captures the calming movement of experiencing a moment through the lens of gratitude.

We organized the anonymous gratitudes and reflection into three sections: “Anonymous”, “Calm” and “Being.” Each captures a different facet of what we found in your offerings of gratitude. But again, this book is yours—Try it on, explore, play with it, have fun, and let us know what you think!

-Olga and Liz

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Strong, beautiful bodiesBlessed meetings, opportunitiesNourishing others

animals that live in burned out forestsfriends that are there for meliving life the way i have always wanted to

walking the streets of the missioncoffee with good friendsoranges

desert photographyimaginationtravel plans

Singing bhajansReally good teaNature and all its lessons

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scholarshipsrainy daysgroceries the comfort of animalstable tennisthe rain

birdsplantsbikes friendsmy momvitamins

cabbagecomedyclearasil

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making comicsmy healthmy family

flowersoliviafriendsGas in my carThe warmth of my husband beside meMy children

cat foodthe magic of the tarot!reid!

walksplantscomputers beep beep

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Perspective! Gratitude! Wanting all that I have.Surprise calls from friends when needed!Calm in the storm, serenity with pains

zerothe internetlanguage diversity

Having a good hair day! :)CodingSunshine

computersspidersleon the cat

Friday sunshine with promise of a great eveningEndless stream of opportunitiesPatience

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vitaminsbeing smart about moneymy ability to get things done

musicmy wonderful kit kata new day, every day

other people's humilityFresh raw organic fruits and vegetablesBeing able to volunteer at this incredible NGO in India

my mommy ability to heal and be healthymy health

friendslifelove

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meditation practicehaving extra time coming up to catch up on schooltasty food

Reading my book on copywriting. I'm almost done with it!Dancing salsa tonight.Dancing.

The bright smiles I encountered in the Hardware store!This beautiful last day of January.The feather from the heron that I found on the ground.

Roommates and friends who support.Vicissitudes will come, PATIENCE, love.9th Circuit: EQUALRIGHTSFORALL

Unexpected rendevousWarm CA daysWelcoming friends

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My loving community of friends and familyMy good healthMy beautiful son spring....(almost here kind of)oatmeal and applesthe morning sun!

Always having had more than enough.My family.Such a beautiful day.

My jobMy umbrellaFree transportation

mishkaleonmish mish

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Being able to skype with old friends from across the worldMy partner smilingDr. Robertshaw, my amazing chiropractor textlikesclaire

I’m grateful for a very productive dayI’m grateful for finding this page!!!I’m grateful for this beautiful raining day!!

olga’s coding!!animationlove

mememe

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Determination. Never giving up.Friends and nudges; acting on nudgesWEGIVEITALLWEHAVE A lazy/lounging morning of sleeping inA strong body, post-cold!Loving, hilarious, roommate.

My DaughterMy Daughter AnaMy wife Laura My cat sitting behind me purring as I workThe gym and being able to learn new exercises and new ways of feeling the parts of my bodyBeing able to help out my friend Terry

My cofounder WillFor Olga being a great friendFor being able to help people everyday

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Jen-Mei is helping me with management this monthMy team at blazing cloudMy friend Mary who gave me a therapeutic massage today

friendsmy co-foundercaptains

Although Lama Rama is not cooperating this afternoon, I didn't take it to heart. I just need to do some more work.Lama Rama is cooperating this morningface to face conversations

walking around Bernal hillsunny sundaygreen tea with peach flavor

compliments on my new haircutyummy Ike's sandwichescarpooling

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MUNItacoswomen coding

my bikepersimmon pudding my mom makeswalking around Bernal hill in the morning

surprisesiced teasunny weather

great party with live musicnature in california, hikingyummy lunch

codersbeerpizza

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living in san franciscomy boyfriendbeautiful garden

humming birdsdidn’t get towed - instead found a “please don’t block my driveway” post-it note books

bouncy ballsmushroomssoap

connectionsluckwisdom

memories of my grandparentssnowanticipation

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seeing jellyfish at monterey bay aquariumoatmeal cookiesfun day with parents

long train rides that allow for meditationsparkling water with lemon slicesom

playing improv games at worklearning surprising things about othersmy boss’ confidence in me

spending an hour with my mentorempathy when I needed it the mostfree appetizers and wine after a long day

chilled hibiscus tea on a hot dayrunning into people I know in the citytrips

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Jimkayaking color

public libraries and librariansfogburying the hatchet

freedom to make choicespurplepainterly digital files

searing meat on the grillthe books I still have left from collegespiders

weather in san franciscosalty sweet oystershealing

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Tiny PleasuresGratitude is appreciating the seemingly tiny pleasures. There is so so much to be grateful for: soft cotton, sweet smokey mole, Hot Hula, mothers, bouncy balls, porcelain, zippers, quiet electric cars, strong gentle arms, Shabbat, cherry blossoms, fresh clean water, honesty, hospitality, a single note on a piano. These small gratitudes are the gate-way to deep and profound joy as the more we appreciate the small things the more opportunities we have to con-nect to the world in a very direct, personal way and experi-ence how integral we are to the world.

In addition to appreciating the tiny pleasures that fill my life, I have a self-acceptance and appreciation practice as self-acceptance is the most difficult for me.  I start my day by giving myself a huge long hug and kiss while telling my-self with complete sincerity, “I Love you.” I know it sounds totally corny but it works really well for me. Because I cur-rently work out of my home I can do this several times of day and on days when I need it – I do! This is an area of gratitude practice that (unless you are a sociopath) cannot be over done.  When I appreciate myself, I am more likely to appreciate the gifts and talents that others bring and my life is that much richer.

Angela Neff is an actress, playwright, educator and mother.

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Self AwarenessGratitude seems to have a rather dichotomous and mys-terious nature.  Sometimes I experience it as the result

of a specifically intellectual or contemplative process.  For example, I may become aware of my appreciation for something by thinking about its meaning in my life.  Other times however, gratitude arises as a wash of feeling sensations, which flood me in a totality of micro-seconds that sink me into an acute state of ‘being pre-sent’ or ‘in the body’, as they say.  Either way, it’s defi-nitely a good thing. 

Prior to writing this, as I began to think about what gratitude meant to me, I found it impossible to skip over a particular (quite cognitively oriented) bit of awareness: that is, my immediate gratitude for the ap-parently random, yet extremely fortunate conditions surrounding my birth and general existence.  Such as having been born into a body that was (and still is touch wood) healthy and functions quite well, and into a certain time in history and geographic location where, even in spite of all things being relative, I have access to some pretty dynamic potential, internally and

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externally.  Plus, I have the time and means to contemplate ‘gratitude’, with a seemingly limitless supply of resources to stimulate the query.  (Um, hello Internet.  Just for starters).  As far as I can tell, that all adds up to something of a minor miracle.  

Gratitude can, of course, be invoked and amplified through specific methods and intentions.  There are the traditional and spiritually oriented practices that cultivate one’s internal landscape and prime the conditions for gratitude to take seed and flourish: calming the inner jihad struggle of the mind, cultivating a presence of shalom, shining light into the re-cesses of the soul with prayer, or using a breathing medita-tion to drop an anchor of mindfulness into the present moment.  To name but a few. 

At the same time, gratitude can (and certainly should for the sake relishing the benefits of any ‘inner work’) be sought out and ignited through just about whatever nourishes a state of wellbeing, inspires appreciation, rocks your boat, etc.  It starts to get really interesting, because there is a striking con-nection between the application of ‘inner work’, whether it be spiritually oriented or not, and the subsequent frequency by which various stimuli, ‘good’ or ‘bad’, can turn on the grati-tude switch. There is that lens of perception in the mind, which if left to its own devices, can tend to create an all too familiar focus on limitations or other habitual ‘no go’s’.  But,

that lens can be adjusted, so that what may have been per-ceived as a limitation instinctively start to refocus as opportunity.  ‘No go’s’ start to represent signals to forge a new direction or make a different choice, and overall the cups increasingly become half full.  Opportunities to experi-ence gratitude start to pop up all over the place, inspired by the sacred and the profane, the mundane and the complex, the subtle and the extreme… you get the gist.

But, that all being said, I think it really comes down to peo-ple, those living as well as those who have passed and left their mark along the way.  Because, were it not for other peo-ple sharing their lessons, achievements and failures, strengths and weaknesses, striving and persevering to express their dreams, words, art, theories, designs, medicine, truth, and simply living with patience and compassion, I’m con-vinced that my capacity to even begin to contemplate the ‘what’ of it all would be so limited.  Seriously so.  So, for all of them, those known and unknown, I am immeasurably grateful.

Thinking about all of this evokes an experience of gratitude that is obviously initiated through a cognitive process.  But, then, significantly, this gives way to something that exists in between and outside of the thoughts.

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During those in between-the-thoughts-moments, I experi-ence something that can best be described as ‘connection’: the boundaries seem to dissolve between myself and the mountain, the ocean, the song, the dance, the highway, the city, the book, the film, the taste, the sound, the sight, the scent, the touch, the memory, the child, the friend, the lover, the breath or whatever it may be that has turned on the switch.  

During those moments, I am reminded of the ‘being’ part of my being human.  I remember where I am.  Yes, here, in this body, on this planet called Earth.  (Hilarious how easy it still is to forget that in the middle of the day-to-day hustle.  Honestly.)   And, as it arises, my thinking mind turns off, even for a microsecond, as my body, my cells, my breath, and the rest of life that surrounds me holds and cradles that mo-ment.

During those moments, I recognize gratitude as the emo-tional essence of something primordial, safely and carefully woven deep within the mystery of our collective DNA, with quantum roots that stretch to the stars.  And, what do I imag-ine is its purpose?  To gently yet determinedly midwife an awareness of something that is beyond reason, logic, form or words:  our interconnection with all of life, which is our basic humanity.

Megan O’Grady Greene likes to write, dance, make sugar-free ultra-dark raw cacao truffles, and conjure up aesthetic and functional solutions to all sorts of things.  She has also worked extensively with non-profits, social enterprises, and bespoke creative projects.   The BA in Religion (Columbia University), and the MSc in Social Psychology of Social & Public Communication (London School of Economics and Political Science) have been particularly useful for the truffle making.

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Nurture1) What does gratitude mean to you?

Gratitude is the awareness and appreciation for all that I have in my life: family, friendship, comfort, success, love, health, happiness, fitness, access to good food, etc. The list goes on  and on!

2) What is your daily practice?

I practice gratitude! I also work out, eat well, sleep well and put effort into nurturing my relationships with the wonderful people in my life, including my amazing husband, Mark.

3) Who are you?

Chef Stephanie allows the seasons to identify the key elements of her menus, while drawing inspiration from a wide range of ethnic cuisines. Of her culinary perspective, she says, “With organic, local and seasonal ingredients the focus, I approach cooking with a balance of positive intention and playful ingenuity.”

“How we choose to eat and nourish ourselves is a very personal choice, and one that has the potential to affect

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the people around us and the entire planet. It is my pleasure to honor those choices by designing menus that reflect the intentions of each client.”

Chef Stephanie’s culinary experience spans 25 years in select Bay Area kitchens, from the legendary Whole Earth natural foods restaurant at UC Santa Cruz to Millennium in San Francisco.

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Free ReturnsSo this is the deal about gratitude.  There are no rules. Some days I feel really grateful when I walk through the alley on the way to my office. I look up at the sky after getting my oatmeal with brown sugar and walnuts from Zack, the blond counter guy with the piercing on his chin who is always friendly but preoccupied. I'm holding my oatmeal in the compostable container and it warms my hands, and the alley is usually scattered with Academy of Art students who wear the craziest shit and smoke and carry gigantic portfolios. As I look up at the piece of sky above my morning alley, I usually see one or two seagulls. That makes me think of Jonathan Livingston Seagull, and if you haven't read that book you should read it and read it again. In fact I'm going to read it again this weekend. I'm grateful for that book. The seagulls are just hanging around because the alley isn’t too far from the water and there are dumpsters. Some people think seagulls are menacing but I always feel cheerful when I see one. They look so friendly, clean and white with their bright yellow beaks. So in the alley, looking up at the clean seagulls, holding my warm oatmeal from Zack, I wake up a little and feel grateful for the morning.

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I know we’re not supposed to online shop at work, but I’m not on Facebook so Zappos is my Facebook and that seems fair. It’s a slow afternoon at the office and I am obsessing about why my boyfriend broke up with me and since I finally permanently deleted the last email he wrote to me so that I wouldn’t continually read it over and over, I divert to Zappos.com. And there I find a perfect pair of shoes; part Mary-Jane part goth-girl and yet comfortable and I go to check the sizing box and not only do they have a size 7 1/2 but it comes in a AA width meaning it runs in a narrow, which is quite rare for cute shoes.  Now I look for the color and they have black. And I order them. And the very next day- 24 hours after I order them- the UPS guy comes to the office and he hands me a box containing my new perfect black 7 and a half narrows. And I open the box and try them on and they don't fit. But it's okay! It’s okay because all I have to do is put them back in the box, grab the shipping tape dispenser, wrap the box back up, print out the return label and put the box back on the reception desk. And it's free. No penalty. No harm done. I was taught that once you made a decision you were forever stuck with it, so the concept of returning was accompanied by feelings of guilt and shame. But thanks to Zappos that has all changed. The #1 online shoe retailer says it’s A-okay and I’m doubly grateful.

I think self-esteem is over rated and I’m grateful mine is low. Hey I said there were no rules with gratitude. Putting everyone else’s feelings before mine works for me. It helps me in my career and motivates my art. I learned early on, along with feeling shameful about the returning of merchandise, that I didn’t have the right to feel good about myself. But feeling bad has made me who I am today. And I have some of the most extraordinary people in the world as friends, a support system of people who truly love me and get me and I rarely feel alone. I have a dream job, challenging and never dull, a boss I love and amazing coworkers. And my sister just texted me a picture of her new kitten. She said the woman at the pound told her that black cats don’t get adopted nearly as frequently as others. “Isn’t that terrible?” she asked me. And I remembered how grateful I am for my sister.

My name is Mary Samson. I'm a sales professional, an actor, and sometimes a writer. If I don't stay in touch with myself, my environment, and what I'm grateful for, I'll end up focusing on everything wrong. Being mindful of gratitude keeps me positive.

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Further StillI can only see wordsAs far as I can reach themI stretch further still My fingers twist in formsI've only just learnedI twist further still Sounds flung from tip of tongue Voice is bent to its willI bend further still My spirit grows to its boundsThe destination in its dreams  I dream further still  Moments are held within A lifetime that will end againI live further still 

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Karl Dotter loves toast and comics. He dreams of one day living in Vermont with a pack of cartoonists. He practices drawing on coasters and receipts. He also teaches grownups how to draw comics and designs health and social apps in San Francisco.

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Tibetan Healing Mantra

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Thank you

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Liz Walsh is an artist and film maker from San Francisco who works with a variety of mediums ranging from video, painting and sound which are then included in the creation of interactive spaces. Her work incorporates imagery and spatial qualities that she derives from vast landscape of the West, especially Northern California. Walsh received a BFA in Painting from the University of Colorado at Boulder, and an MFA in Painting from the California College of Arts and Crafts. She has attended residencies at the Headlands Center of the Arts in Marin, California as well as Cooper Union, NYC and the Many-Mini Project in Berlin. She has shown her work across the United States and Europe.

Olga Trusova is a designer living in San Francisco who develops apps for happiness and well-being. She applies research-based methods in positive psychology and ancient spiritual practices to contemporary technology solutions in order to create peaceful habitats online. Trusova received a B.S. in Computer Science from University of California Santa Cruz and an M.A. in Learning, Design & Technology from Stanford University. She has taught design thinking at Hasso Plattner Institute of Design (d.school). Trusova was also awarded a Fulbright Fellowship to support her research on human trafficking and the publication of Borderland - a non-fiction comic book about the subject.

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Published by Blue Fig Labs, LLCCreated by Olga Trusova and Liz WalshEdited by Jim RatcliffeAll watercolor and felt pieces by Liz Walsh © 2012

© 2012 Blue Fig Labs, LLCAll rights reserved.

Anonymous gratitudes published in this book were first collected at http://gratitude.is/community with permission from the original contributors.

Credits