#GratefulFriday

It’s #GratefulFriday

Joy Is Already Here

How practicing gratitude gently reawakens what was never actually lost

Grateful Friday

“It is not joy that makes us grateful. It is gratitude that makes us joyful.” – David Steindl-Rast

Joy isn’t a reward.

It’s not waiting at the finish line of accomplishment.
It’s not hiding in the next version of our bodies, our work, or our lives.

Joy is a quality of the heart.

It’s already here.

But it gets covered.

By stress.
By responsibility.
By comparison.
By the quiet pressure to keep doing more.

We don’t lose joy.
We just lose contact with it.

This week I noticed how quickly I was moving through my days — answering emails, holding space, thinking about what’s next. Nothing dramatic. Just full.

One evening I stepped outside for a minute of air. The sky was soft pink and gold — that quiet kind of beautiful that doesn’t ask for attention.

I almost missed it.

Instead, I stood still.

And I felt grateful.

Not because everything was done.
Not because I had figured anything out.
Just because I was there to see it.

My shoulders softened.
My breath deepened.

And there it was.

Not excitement. Not elation.

Just a steady, grounded joy.

Gratitude didn’t erase the fullness of the day.
It simply helped me remember what was already alive underneath it.

Practicing gratitude gently clears the dust off the heart.

It brings us back.

This week, instead of chasing joy, try tending to gratitude.

Let it be small.
Let it be honest.
Let it be yours.

If you feel called, share one quiet thing you’re grateful for in the comments.

No performance.
No polishing.

Just something true.

Sometimes saying it out loud helps us feel it more deeply.

Happy Grateful Friday 🤍