Appreciating What We Have, Reclaiming What Is Ours

The idea of reclaiming has been very much on my mind as I move closer to publishing my new book, On Becoming a Partner to the Self: Reclaim Your Inner Landscape.

Writing this book has reminded me that becoming a partner to ourselves is not about creating an entirely new self. Sometimes it begins by recognizing what has always been there, noticing what we may have lost touch with, and deciding what we want to carry forward.

Thanksgiving invites us to pause and appreciate what we have. We may think of the people we love, the home we have created, our health, our work, or the ordinary comforts that accompany our days. Yet appreciation can also invite us somewhere deeper: inward.

Over the course of our lives, we do not only accumulate experiences; sometimes we also leave parts of ourselves behind. We may become so occupied with responsibilities, relationships, expectations, disappointments, and simply getting through life that we lose touch with qualities that once felt very much our own—our curiosity, playfulness, courage, creativity, hope, or capacity for wonder.

Perhaps gratitude can also include reclaiming.

Reclaiming does not necessarily mean going back to who we once were. We cannot undo what has happened or return to an earlier version of ourselves. But we can become curious about what still belongs to us—what has survived, what has grown, and what we might want to welcome back into our lives.

There is also something powerful about appreciating ourselves. We often find it easier to recognize what others have given us than to acknowledge what we ourselves have carried. What have you endured? What have you learned? What choices have you made that brought you here? What qualities within you helped you continue when life was difficult?

Appreciation, then, becomes more than counting our blessings. It becomes a way of seeing again—seeing what surrounds us, seeing the people who matter to us, and seeing ourselves with a little more curiosity and generosity.

A Question to Carry With You

As you consider what you are grateful for today, what within yourself would you also like to appreciate—or reclaim?

You don't need to have an immediate answer. Perhaps simply notice what comes to mind.