An Ecology of Gratitude

An Ecology of Gratitude is an inspirational and practical guide that encourages readers to slow down, pay attention and write their way to what matters. Structured as a 30-day series of anecdotes, field notes and writing prompts, author Lorraine Widmer-Carson embroiders the science of gratitude with personal stories of lived experience, urging readers to open their eyes to wonders, revel in possibilities, and move toward a better tomorrow.

Gratitude is more than a greeting card sentiment. It is a compass, a mirror, and a personal calibration tool for viewing life with a richer perspective. Gratitude stems from a system of beliefs and attitudes that we hold about ourselves, others and the universe. Further, gratitude defines our essential matters and core values, and can help us flourish in an environment of gentle acceptance, hope and grace.

Your preferences, reactions, conversations and interactions quite likely contain hints of gratitude already. Your ways of expressing or recognizing gratitude may be culture-specific and normal in your world. However, by looking more carefully, labelling gratitude with greater insight and precision, and by applying the lens of gratitude to your daily contemplations, you will find more reasons to be hopeful, optimistic and motivated to take your next best step. 

Gratitude creates its own force field, and can generate a reciprocal flow of energy. By giving and receiving, accepting gifts in the spirit intended, and reallocating your giving energy with intentional kindness, you can influence the dynamics of relationships at home and at work, and most importantly, in your relationship with yourself.