{"id":493,"date":"2023-11-01T12:10:46","date_gmt":"2023-11-01T12:10:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/phlexon-dev.com\/senior\/?p=493"},"modified":"2024-03-11T01:38:39","modified_gmt":"2024-03-11T01:38:39","slug":"gratitude-cafe","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/phlexon-dev.com\/senior\/gratitude-cafe\/","title":{"rendered":"Gratitude Caf\u00e9"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

My late husband, Kent Lindsey, taught me everything I know about Gratitude. He was someone who was thankful for what I considered mundane. Daybreak. Chicken salad. A good song.  He was so grateful, he named our back patio, the Gratitude Caf\u00e9, taken from a lyric in a Jason Mraz tune:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI keep my life on a heavy rotation
requesting that it\u2019s lifting you up,
up, up and away,
and over to a table
at the Gratitude Cafe.
And I\u2019m finally there
and all of the angels
They\u2019ll be singing\u2026.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

When Kent was diagnosed with cancer, he considered it a \u201cgift,\u201d because it brought the people he loved together. I didn\u2019t get it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It took me a long time to come to terms with life after he passed. Eventually, sorrow morphed into something else. I became grateful for what \u201cwas.\u201d I had something that others only dream about. I was the recipient of unwavering love for almost 30 years. Thinking about it blows my mind. My gratitude has blossomed into giving thanks in every corner of my life. Every Sunrise. Every opportunity. Health. Our daughter. The love of friends and family. For life itself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Kent used to say that the Gratitude Caf\u00e9 isn\u2019t a place. It\u2019s a state of mind. It\u2019s always open. And there\u2019s always a seat at the table. You\u2019ll find me there. And most of the time, all of the angels are singing. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

What are you grateful for?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n
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\u201cI am 78 years old and grateful I am still in good health. Very grateful for my loving family and friends.\u201d Sally B.<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u201cA couple of years ago, I embarked on a gratitude practice that I credit with rewiring my brain and my outlook. I\u2019m deeply grateful for this practice, for where I find myself geographically and in life, and for the people who helped steer and guide me here.\u201d Bob W.<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u201cI am grateful for the women in my life, mother, wives, daughters, and friends, who have loved and supported me over the years in spite of my faults. They know who they are. From a very serious bout with cancer, I am particularly grateful to the evolution of modern medical science and the practitioners thereof for bringing me back to complete remission.\u201d John G.<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u201cI wake up every morning with a grateful heart for being allowed to see another day. I\u2019m very grateful for being loved and appreciated by my family and friends.\u201d Roxanne K.<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Embracing Gratitude: A Path to Health and Well-Being<\/h1>\n\n\n\n

Thanksgiving is one day a year, but National Gratitude Month, observed each November since 2015, lasts 30. If you want to truly enjoy the \u201cpulse of the good life\u201d, adopting an \u201cattitude of gratitude\u201d should be a year-round commitment. That\u2019s because multiple studies by leading research institutions like Harvard University and Mayo Clinic reveal many mental, emotional and physical health benefits of simply practicing gratitude, particularly among the aging adults.<\/p>\n\n\n

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In his book, The Art of Appreciation<\/a><\/em>, Jacksonville-based author and motivational speaker Leonard Chatman, Jr., talks of witnessing his mother struggle with multiple sclerosis and lose her vision within 24 hours of that diagnosis when he was three years old.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThat diagnosis changed the trajectory of our whole family\u2019s lives,\u201d he said. \u201cYet, I\u2019ve never heard or seen my mom complain or quit. <\/p>\n\n\n

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Challenging moments can shape you. But they can also break you if you don\u2019t carry the right mindset. The proper mindset is always gratitude.\u201d Research backs that claim. A Harvard Medical School study found that grateful individuals are 25 percent happier, exhibit fewer symptoms of depression and anxiety and are more likely to adopt healthier lifestyles, including regular exercise and balanced diets. A Mayo Clinic study showed that practicing gratitude leads to better sleep and fewer aches and pains<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Research published in Psychology Today<\/em> and involving a series of gratitude intervention-based experiments showed that those engaging in gratitude experienced slower and steadier heart rates, enhanced ability to regulate emotions and a marked improvement in motivation-related brain activity.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

My late husband, Kent Lindsey, taught me everything I know about Gratitude. He was someone who was thankful for what I considered mundane. Daybreak. Chicken salad. A good song.  He was so grateful, he named our back patio, the Gratitude Caf\u00e9, taken from a lyric in a Jason Mraz tune: \u201cI keep my life on […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":957,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[21],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-493","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-interviews"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/phlexon-dev.com\/senior\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/493","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/phlexon-dev.com\/senior\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/phlexon-dev.com\/senior\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/phlexon-dev.com\/senior\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/phlexon-dev.com\/senior\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=493"}],"version-history":[{"count":12,"href":"https:\/\/phlexon-dev.com\/senior\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/493\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1215,"href":"https:\/\/phlexon-dev.com\/senior\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/493\/revisions\/1215"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/phlexon-dev.com\/senior\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/957"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/phlexon-dev.com\/senior\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=493"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/phlexon-dev.com\/senior\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=493"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/phlexon-dev.com\/senior\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=493"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}