Staff Picks

A collection of favorite resources – both old and new – handpicked by the Gratefulness staff for your perusal. This page will be refreshed 2 – 3 times per month with “gems” which have particularly moved, touched, or engaged us…

The Magic Shop of the Brain
(On Being, February 2016) Brain surgeon James Doty is on the cutting edge of our knowledge of the brain and the heart: how they talk to each other; what compassion means in the body and in action; and how we can reshape our lives and perhaps our species through the scientific and human understanding we are now gaining.

Breaking Up Is Hard to Do
“Gratefulness is at all times the music that makes us walk with a spring in our step. But at no time do we notice the gentle power of gratefulness more than in a crisis situation. And what crisis could be more in need of gentle healing than the breakup of a relationship?” Writes Br. David in response to a site visitor’s question.

Four Great Gratitude Strategies
Over the past two decades, much of the research on happiness can be boiled down to one main prescription: give thanks. Across hundreds of studies, practicing gratitude has been found to increase positive emotions, reduce the risk of depression, heighten relationship satisfaction, and increase resilience in the face of stressful life events, among other benefits.

Leaning Back
A grateful living practice that helps us explore what it’s like to lean back—to sink into a moment, to savor it, to allow our senses to relax and release into what we’re encountering…Learning to lean back into our lives allows us to become more relaxed and more receptive. It can actually release a lot of tension in the body.

Be Selfish Be Generous
(September, 2010) A powerful and inspiring video in which volunteers talk about how giving impacts them, and the world – “Listening deeply is an amazing act of generosity,” “A shift from isolation to community. When you give you’re actually very connected,” “There is nothing you need that you don’t have to be generous…”

Learning Life
I have learned
that fences are for climbing to see
if the grass really is greener on the other side;
and that if I leave the house at night,
and stretch high on the top of my tiptoes
I might touch the quivering stars…

We hope you enjoyed these resources. To discover more, visit our complete Library of Resources or dip into Gratefulness in Daily Life.