Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life.
It turns what we have into enough and more.
It turns denial into acceptance, chaos to order, confusion to clarity.
It can turn a meal into a feast, a house into a home, a stranger into a friend.
It turns problems into gifts, failures into successes, the unexpected into perfect timing and mistakes into important events.
It can turn an existence into a real life, and disconnected situations into important and beneficial lessons.
Gratitude makes sense of our past, brings peace for today, and creates a vision for tomorrow.
– Melody Beattie
Our birds share what they are grateful for
When I think about my gratitude practice, I know that the most impactful way for me to reflect is to get really specific. Sometimes, when I try to only think about grandiose reasons for gratitude, I can feel overwhelmed or even at a loss. Instead, I find that when I zoom in on the details of my daily life, that there is always more to be grateful for and to relish in than not. For example, this week I have a lot to feel grateful for, including: feeling excited & qualified to navigate a highly detailed work opportunity, space for a vulnerable conversation that has resulted in a closer relationship with a loved one, time to freely browse the used book store, cheap and delicious sushi in town, a friend who has offered to teach me how to work on my car, an unexpectedly sunny Friday, clean drinking water, ripe pears, purple cauliflower, energy for an after work hike, the way my mom answers the phone with a different greeting each time, and time to myself to type out this list of gratitude. Life is truly all in the details! ~Ashley Hayden, Customer Service Representative
Everyday I pause to admire beauty and love around me
my senses grasping to hold moments just a while longer.
My children, healthy with full bellies, snuggled up against me.
A roof over our heads, shielding us from the elements, keeping us cozy
clothes on our backs and toys on the floor, everything so precious and temporary. ~Eve Springer, Human Resources Associate
I am so grateful for love and kindness in challenging times. I've found that as things get tough, people find more and give more love & kindness and that is so sweet. I'm grateful for the good food, laughter, and bike rides that sustain me. My family and friends (including dogs) are appreciated everyday. I am super grateful to be able to work with amazing people united toward a powerful purpose - good food-making the world a better place. And I am thankful for time to consider all these things. ~Livin' Adkins, Marketing & Brand Coordinator
During hard times, I find leaning into practicing gratitude even more important. Finding small things to be appreciative everyday, can really add up. I feel grateful to be working in a place where I am contributing to positive change in the world, for time to work on my baking skills, a change in seasons to rest and reset, and fur babies to come home to everyday. ~Kat Vecchio, Business Development Manager
I am deeply grateful for my community's kindness and the way people show up for one another with generosity and care. Their support, collaboration, and shared spirit remind me how powerful it is to be surrounded by positive, connected people. ~Deirdre Geddes, Sales and Marketing Director
I'm grateful for my family. I'm happy to be alive and to enjoy the faculty of all my senses. I remain in awe of a universe beyond my understanding, of which I feel privileged to be a tiny fractal. ~Kara LaVelle, Farm Connections and Sourcing Manager
I have a t-shirt that has "Super Grateful" printed across the front in a shimmery font. I love wearing it! It is a reminder to myself, and perhaps to others who see it, to feel and express gratitude. Throughout my life, I have found that while life and the world around us is not always exactly how I would like it to be, there is so much beauty and there are many things, both big and small, to be grateful for. Amazingly, when gratitude is given, suddenly I find even more to be grateful for! It is like a well that runs dry only when I do not drink from it. Gratitude is like kindness, in this way. They both grow in relation to how much I give. I am grateful for my ancestors, family & friends, and animal companions (of which I include wild creatures). I am grateful for delicious and healthy food grown right in my backyard or at a nearby farm. My gratitude for nature, rushing rivers, tides of the ocean, bright sunshine and afternoon thunderstorms, eye-popping vistas and the tranquility I receive from spending time in nature is boundless. I am so grateful to work at Hummingbird, a place where I know we are doing something meaningful and good, in collaboration with all the fabulous people here.
Gratitude, noun - the quality of being thankful; readiness to show appreciation for and to return kindness. ~Stacy Kraker, CEO