Gratitude is a daily practice.

Ever since Everly was an infant, we’ve had a daily ritual of talking about what we’re grateful for. Early on, it was just Jordan and I sharing things with her that made us grateful.

As she got old enough to talk, we would ask her “What are you grateful for?” or “What makes you happy or feel good?”

When she first started to engage in the conversation, her answers tended to be something random she looked at in her room while we were talking or something from a book we had just read.

As time has gone on, she has started to understand more about the concept and at 3, she now talks about something from her day or someone in her life she loves or is thinking about. Sure, sometimes she still says the first thing she sees or defaults to her favorite snack (currently trail mix), but the point is not what she says, it’s the fact that she is developing the practice and even if she celebrated trail mix every day, the goal of de-centering from negativity and shame is accomplished purely by acknowledging something around us.

All 3 of us have developed a daily practice simple to talk about gratitude and hold space to be grateful. And that is what grounds us. That is how we connect at the end of our day together and that is the sentiment we lead our lives with.

And do you want to know ehe coolest part? In the last month, after we read books, she now asks us what we are grateful for — and yes, as a mom and therapist, I get a little choked up every time.

How many of you get stuck on the idea of not knowing what to say or worrying that it sounds lame?

Sometimes Jordan talks about that feeling of judgment that comes in when he feels like he has said the same things before. But again, what he says is not as important as taking the moment to express gratitude. Even if you say the same thing every single day, the physical, mental and emotional gifts of gratitude are still presented.

So I invite you, whether it’s with your loved ones or on your own, to make space to ask yourself every single day, “What are you grateful for?” and just explore what it does for you!