Morgan Harper Nichols' Blog

Tag: gratitude

  • Courage is an ongoing process of small shifts

    Courage is an ongoing process of small shifts

    Dragonflies are known for their ability to hover and swiftly change direction which is surely a testament to their agility and precision. Their two pairs of wings can move independently and this mechanism is what actually allows them to maneuver effortlessly in all directions, even backward, when they need to. Their 360-degree vision makes them adaptable and agile, like a courageous dream could be: gliding over serene ponds and through lush wetlands.

    To dream is to explore possibilities beyond the constraints of what’s been done in the past, yet still slowly learning to use patience to navigate. And this practice of dreaming leads to the freeing act of learning to hover, despite our fears, even before the fears fully go away. To hover amidst the reeds. To glide even in the winds. Like a dragonfly, we can find our way through the reeds and lily pads of all of the curiosities, convictions, and stories that make up the dream.

    As dragonflies pivot and adapt in mid-air, when it comes to our dreams, no matter how old or new, how vivid or fleeting, perhaps, we too can pivot, adapt, adjust, and thrive. Courage, like a dragonfly’s precision, can continue to transform paths we journey through, as we learn to adjust and evolve, like the dragonfly in the ever-changing winds. It’s okay if courage requires adjustment. You are free to let it become an ongoing process of small shifts.

    Amidst all of the wonder typically associated with dragonflies, there’s a flexibility we gain from dreaming. And even as we face the unknowns of those very dreams, like a dragonfly, we still learn to fly right where we are. – Morgan Harper Nichols

  • Small Joys, Even in Fragments

    Small Joys, Even in Fragments

    Remember the small moments that bring warmth and joy to your life, for even if they feel far away or no longer as potent or relevant as they used to be, the fact that you can remember them at all is a reminder that through it all, you have been connected to this life. Through it all, you have been alive. Notice how many things that bring warmth to life are connected. Whether it’s spending time with other people or spending time with other people’s stories as you read books or listen to music, it’s all connected somehow. Even if you’re just passively observing or vaguely remembering those warm moments, that’s still something worth holding on to and building upon, no matter how small it is.

    And when it comes to the present moment, and how you seek to find joy and warmth in the days to come, allow yourself to think of the smallest things. In addition to all the good things that could be connected to other people, these things can also be connected to your senses as well:

    What specific color makes you think of joy?
    What song seems to have a sense of warmth to it?
    What scents or textures help you remember joyful moments yet again?

    Increase your ability to notice what might grow right here by allowing yourself to ask these kinds of specific questions. Use your available senses to anchor yourself in these small joys and let them be a pathway for finding warmth and happiness in the present and in moments to come. And if you’d like, you can also ask someone you know to answer these questions and explore the many nuances and ways different people move through these more subtle experiences and how they connect to a bigger picture. – Morgan Harper Nichols

  • Grace for Unfinished Chapters

    Grace for Unfinished Chapters

    When you are able to cultivate gratitude in the present, you are also laying the foundation of contentment that you can carry with you, toward the future.

    This can especially be true when it comes to how you relate to other people. In moments where you find yourself being compared to others or something was said to you that doesn’t reflect who you fully are, it’s in moments like this where you can remember what’s actually true about you, and how that’s something worth being grateful for.

    If there is a moment in the future where someone says, “Oh, you’re still working on that? I thought you’d be done by now.” In that space, you can reflect on all the ways you’ve been learning to be grateful for your own pace and growth.

    There might be times when others tell you (or you tell yourself), “It’s surprising you haven’t moved on to bigger things yet.” And in those moments, you remember how you’ve been learning to be grateful for your unique journey.

    When you’re hearing, “Are you still doing that? I thought you’d have found something else by now,” You can remember the small ways you’ve been learning to be grateful for your own strengths and progress.

    There is no way to perfectly prepare for everything that will come, but you can still take moments right here in the present, learning to be grateful for what you have, what you’ve learned, and what you’ve been becoming more aware of each day. On this last day of May, may today be a day filled with gratitude that sets the stage for all that is waiting to be discovered. May there be grace for unfinished chapters. May there be spaciousness in the journey of becoming. – Morgan Harper Nichols

  • Collecting Meaningful Moments in Life

    Collecting Meaningful Moments in Life

    Even when it is hard to find joy, whenever or however you can, it still matters to recognize that it is something worth treasuring.

    To “treasure” something is to “keep it carefully.”

    Allow yourself to consider the multiplicity of this:

    How can you find things worth treasuring, to build upon them over time? How can you begin to collect things that are worth keeping? In a time where hidden algorithms determine so much of what we encounter and engage with, taking a moment to collect things worth keeping is a way to stay engaged with life, in ways big and small.

    Maybe you’re the one who holds on to the journey in its memory form. You remember what was as so much more than just nostalgia, but as a layered record of unfolding and becoming.

    Perhaps you’re the one who knows where laughter can be found. Even if it’s in the smallest moments, you know that laughter is its own form of release and working through the tension.

    Maybe you’re the one who is grateful for the small things that get overlooked or underappreciated… being the one to elevate and highlight what is meaningful with quiet attention and honest enthusiasm.

    Maybe you can be the one who continues to bring up the dreams… whether that be your own dreams, the family’s dreams, the community’s dreams. The things that seem to light up the room when someone talks about them, even before they come into fruition.

    There’s nothing wrong with longing for big moments of joy. And at the same time, you are free to allow yourself to seek out moments of a more subtle or overlooked significance. Because sometimes “joy” looks like this: the possibility that treasured things can still be found here and they can matter, even if they are small. And even when those treasured things are small, they are still worth pursuing… and not only for ourselves, but for others, too.

    – Morgan Harper Nichols