Hope you’re having a wonderful day filled with the brilliance of joy! Today’s post is about the spiritual practice of appreciating yourself.
Since World CP Day is this week, I decided to appreciate one aspect of myself by coming up with my “10 Reasons I Am Grateful to Have CP” List. For those new to my blog, I live with a disability called cerebral palsy, which is affectionately called ‘CP’.
10. Palsy begins with the same letter as- you know what’s coming- PURPLE. And, purple is quite simply, one of the most awesome colors in all of creation ☺️ (smiley face emoji)!
9. Before my speech became pretty easy to understand, I spelled out words when I spoke to people who couldn’t understand me. This led to me becoming such a wiz at spelling that I won several Spelling Bees in elementary school.
8. I can eat whatever I want and stay slim and trim(gotta love those involuntary muscle movements!).
7. I had a very eventful birth that makes for a great story!
6. I know that not being able to speak is not the same thing as having nothing to say.
5. Since writing with pencil and paper was always painful and time-consuming, I just learned how to memorize everything – a definite perk when studying for final exams!
4. To those without CP, a typewriter is an outdated method of written communication. To those with CP, a typewriter is a paintbrush. See a video of beautiful landscape portraits created with a typewriter by clicking below.
https://www.huffpost.com/entry/paul-smith-typewriter-artist_n_5864730
3. I know that regardless of the severity or type of one’s disability, everyone has something to contribute to the world.
2. I am reminded of the following truth everyday:
“Strength does not come from physical capacity. It comes from an indomitable will.”
~Mahatma Gandhi
And drum roll please….. The number one reason I appreciate having CP is:
1. CP is part of what makes me who I am and I am PHENOMENAL!
Celebrating and giving thanks for who you are is often overlooked, but it is a critically important spiritual practice! You were created by Love, by the Universe, by the Divine Itself. So, when you take time to give thanks for who you are, you are appreciating and affirming the creative energy of the Universe, which puts you into greater alignment with blessings, love and manifesting your deepest desires! Oh what a gift it is to feel gratitude!
Love, blessings and purple,
Allison
Try doing this exercise once a day this week(or as often as you can). If you need modifications to the practice, scroll down to the section titled Access Notes.
Appreciating Yourself
Write or type 3 things that you appreciate about yourself. Set a timer for three minutes. Start the timer. Say why you are grateful for each of the 3 traits that you listed and feel as much appreciation as possible. Spend about 1 minute on each item you listed. If you need more time to say why you are grateful for those traits, take it! Once the timer sounds, put your hands over your heart and take 3 deep breaths.
You can say things such as, “I’m grateful for my sense of humor because I can bring joy to people, because laughing feels wonderful and because I can make myself laugh regardless of the situation.” The most important part of this practice is that you feel completely immersed in appreciation for the entire three minutes.
The following modifications are intended to create equal access to the spiritual practice above. These modifications are somewhat general to be as useful as possible to as many people as possible. Please feel free to further tweak the exercise as needed so that you can participate as fully as possible while honoring your body’s needs.
1.If you want to do the this practice, but are unable to speak for three consecutive minutes, here are three alternate ways of doing the exercise.
a. Say why you appreciate each trait in your mind for three minutes.
b. Verbally say why you appreciate your traits for less than three minutes. Determine the length of time that works best for you and your abilities.
c. If you use an AAC device with a voice synthesizer, type why you appreciate each trait for 3 minutes (or however long works for you) and then have your device speak your words. While your device speaks, feel as much gratitude as possible.
2. If you communicate via sign language, feel free to sign your appreciation rather than speak it.
3. If you cannot place your hands on your heart, close your eyes and imagine taking three deep breaths through your heart.
4. If you cannot take deep breaths, close your eyes, place your hands on your heart(if you can) and imagine taking three breaths through your heart.
