This time of year, there's a lot of talk about gratitude. We're told to count our blessings Appreciate what we have And focus on the positive and that's not bad advice Except that gratitude can feel impossibly difficult when you're lying in the dark When life feels hard Or when nothing seems quite right The truth is our brains aren't naturally wired for gratitude We're wired to scan for problems And notice what's missing That's what kept our ancestors alive, and it's also what keeps us awake now That constant scanning That focus on everything that isn't working And here's something else that makes gratitude hard We're always waiting Waiting to be healthier For our lives to be easier Our problems to be solved But that moment never comes Because there's always something Life will never be perfect There will always be challenges And if you're waiting for perfection before you can feel at peace You'll be waiting a long time Tonight we're going to do something different We're going to practice gratitude for what is Not what should be For your body as it is right now With whatever limitations Whatever aches Whatever imperfections it has because your body carried you through another day It's doing its best We're going to help you find peace in the middle of life's messiness Not after everything is fixed Because peace doesn't come when everything is perfect Peace comes when you stop requiring perfection And then you'll sleep Because gratitude, real gratitude creates conditions for rest It quiets that threat-scanning mind It says, I have enough I can rest now But before we begin, please make sure you're somewhere safe to fall asleep This episode uses deep relaxation techniques Designed to guide you into sleep So you need to be in bed or another safe resting place And tonight instead of asking for follows I just want to say I'm grateful for you When I started this show I had about two dozen listeners that first month And I remember my very first listener They were in Minneapolis I was so excited I still love Minneapolis because of that one person So thank you for being here in the dark with me tonight And go Vikings So let's begin by finding your breath Just notice it for a moment That natural rise and fall of your chest The gentle rhythm that's always been a part of you And then take a slow deep breath in through your nose And then exhale completely through your mouth Feel something release with that breath Again Breathe in deeply, filling your lungs And then let it all go As you exhale, imagine that breath carrying away carbon dioxide Carrying away the waste products of the day Everything your body no longer needs Your lungs know exactly what to do Bringing in fresh oxygen with every inhale Releasing what needs to leave with every exhale This perfect exchange happening automatically Keeping every cell in your body nourished and alive One more deep breath in And release everything Feel how settled you are in your own comfortable bed How warm and safe How relaxed And now I want you to imagine a warm gentle light Beginning to form just above your head It might be golden or soft white Or any color that feels peaceful to you This is healing light, calming light It carries with it deep relaxation and quiet appreciation For this remarkable body that's carried you through today And then feel the light beginning to lower Touching the crown of your head Warmth spreads across your scalp And you feel the muscles there Muscles you didn't even know were tense Beginning to soften The light moves down to your forehead now Feel it smoothing away The little furrows The tension lines Your forehead becomes calm And now the light reaches your eyes All day the tiny muscles around your eyes have been working Making constant micro adjustments To help you focus Winting against brightness Tracking movement Helping you see the world There are even muscles within your eyes That have been contracting and releasing thousands of times today Feel all of these faithful hardworking muscles Finally let go Your eyelids grow heavier And as they close Those muscles can rest at last The warm light continues down across your cheeks Your jaw If you're holding any tension in your jaw Just let it drop slightly Your entire face is peaceful now Soft and still The light flows down your neck This hardworking bridge between your head and body All the tension held here begins to melt away And now the light reaches your shoulders Feel it spreading And notice how much they begin to drop Settling away from your ears Your shoulders carry so much They've been working all day And now they can be heavy They can rest Feel gratitude for these shoulders of yours That bear your burdens without complaint The light travels down both your arms simultaneously Feel it moving through your upper arms To your elbows Through your forearms And then it reaches your hands Each one of your hands contains 27 bones 29 joints and over 30 muscles Your hand is one of the most complex and versatile tools in nature Today, your hands have done so much Tied Helped things Created Comforted Maybe they've prepared food Or touched someone you love Or simply helped you move throughout your day Each tiny bone Each small muscle has been performing intricate movements Without you having to think about any of it Feel appreciation for these remarkable hands And let them rest now Ears gently curled Completely relaxed The warm light gathers at your chest now Right at your heart Make a loose fist with one hand if you can That's about the size of your heart This muscle, no bigger than your fist Has beaten about 100,000 times today It never stops Never rests It's been keeping you alive every single moment And right now, as you rest here Your heart is slowing to its most peaceful rhythm It knows exactly what to do Feel gratitude for this tireless companion That's been with you since before you were even born Your faithful heart The light expands through your entire chest Filling your lungs With each breath now, feel oxygen crossing into your bloodstream Traveling to every cell Nourishing everything Repairing what needs repair And with each exhale Anything you don't need Leaves, old air, old energy, old worry All of it released with your exhale Your lungs are doing this perfect work Breath after breath Without you having to direct any of it And now the light moves down your spine A remarkable column of vertebrae That have been holding you upright all day Between each vertebrae are small discs That act as shock absorbers And right now, as you lie here Those discs are rehydrating Expanding back to their full size After being compressed all day by gravity Your spine is literally healing itself while you rest All day it worked to keep you upright And now it can release into the support beneath you The light spreads through your entire back now All those muscles that have been working Supporting Holding you together Feel them loosening Relaxing Releasing their grip Your back can be completely soft now The bed is holding you You don't have to hold yourself anymore The warm light moves down through your hips Everything here is softening Opening Letting go These bones and muscles that connect your upper body to your legs Can rest now Feel the light traveling down both legs Through your thighs Your knees And your calves Each muscle group releasing as the light passes through Your legs have carried you today Have gotten you where you needed to go They can be heavy now They can rest And finally, the light reaches your feet Your feet have supported your full weight through every step today Constantly adjusting to keep you balanced Feel appreciation for them And feel them completely releasing now Heavy And still And perfectly relaxed Somewhere deep inside Your immune system is working Even now Billions of cells patrolling Protecting Healing During sleep, this work intensifies Your body knows how to restore itself All it asks of you is rest The warm light has traveled through your entire body now From the crown of your head To the tips of your toes You are filled with this peaceful, healing light Your whole body is relaxed Your whole body is appreciated Just as it is With whatever limitations Or challenges it might have Your body has shown up for you today It's done its best And it deserves this rest Your breathing is slow and natural now Your heartbeat, calm and steady Every system in your body is shifting into rest mode Into healing mode You are safe You are cared for And your body is doing exactly what it needs to do We spend so much of our lives waiting Waiting for things to be perfect Waiting until we achieve that goal Finish that project Fix that problem We tell ourselves Once this happens Then I'll be happy Then I'll be at peace. But there will always be something. That's not something you're doing wrong. That's just what it means to be human. For all of us.

Our bodies will never be perfect. There will always be something that aches, or doesn't work quite right, or isn't what you wish it was. And life will never be perfect either. 

And still... you can rest. You can still feel boundless gratitude for everything you have. For the safety of your room. For the warmth of your bed. For the promise of another tomorrow. 

Peace shouldn’t be something that comes when everything is fixed. Peace comes when you stop waiting for everything to be fixed. When you stop requiring perfection before you allow yourself to rest.

Tonight, there is only this: this warm bed, this breath moving in and out, this body that has carried you through another day. Tonight, you are held. You are safe. And you are perfect, exactly as you are.

Your breathing slows even more. Your thoughts drift like clouds across a darkening sky. The day is done.