Years ago there was an article in the Huffington Post about an idea the author called a “Nectar List”. She talked about the current generation’s general obsession with goal-setting and bucket lists, which are not necessarily bad (obviously there’s value in wanting things in a way that keeps us progressing) but we don’t always have to be chasing the next best thing. She said, “We want to be able to say we had the greatest life we possibly could’ve had. What we’re failing to see is that we have the potential to do this without crossing anything off our bucket lists.” -Sierra Vandervort
Beautiful, right? Sierra goes on to suggest that we need to reflect more on the good things that have come to us in our lives and suggests making a Nectar List, with things that have been the nectar of our existence so far.
I love this idea! And it is so resonant with the message of the full moon. This lunar phase that illuminates everything invites us to see the good in all of our experiences. It invites us to drink deeply of the richness and beauty surrounding us.
So I want to recommend keeping a Nectar List as a gratitude practice. As the author suggests, write a list of good things that have come into your life. But, in addition, I invite you to write them out with rich, expressive, grateful language.
For example:
“This morning I went on a walk in the glorious winter sunshine and it was such a gift to feel my body move and the cool air wake up my lungs. I’m so grateful for those deep, gorgeous breaths.”
Gratitude lists have never quite worked for me as far as creating a feeling of gratitude. In fact, for the longest time I thought there was something wrong with me. It wasn’t until I read about the Nectar List that I understood why! My gratitude lists have typically been words on paper that I don’t take time to describe and connect with emotionally. Yes, of course I’m grateful for the walk I went on today, but why? What was beautiful about it? When I start describing those moments in my day with sweet, abundant language then I really start to feel my gratitude amp up.
So the key is connecting emotion with your words. If you want to feel gratitude, then use grateful, beautiful, nectar-sweet language to describe your experiences. You could actually choose one experience from the day to elaborate on and that alone will boost your gratitude in meaningful ways.
The real treasure is that this practice will also help you start viewing your new experiences with more beauty and abundance, so that your day becomes full of simple but rich moments.
Give it a try! And enjoy.