gratitude practice: day 21

along with my daily gratitude post here on the blog, i've been participating in an instagram challenge led by danielle diamond. every day, she gives a prompt of something to be thankful for that day. some of them have been easy and others have been a little harder (especially trying to take a photo that capture my thoughts for the day).

today's prompt had to do with appreciating the kindness of strangers. at first, i couldn't figure out what i wanted to post. then as i was scrolling through my instagram feed, i got present to the impact that the comments left by others had on me in my day. it always feels good to have someone leave words of appreciation, encouragement, or support on a post. and there are so many folks that i follow and interact with on instagram that i've never met in person, who at first were strangers to me. over time, as i see their pictures, they feel like friends. friends that i never would have had if it weren't for the technology we have today.

and yes, we might all be better off with spending less time looking at a screen and more time with the people and the world in front of us. however, when i invite mindfulness into my use of technology (e.g. leaving thoughtful comments), i actually feel like my time is well spent creating connections that would not have existed otherwise.  today i'm feeling loads of gratitude for the community over on instagram - for all of the inspiration, support and fun!