Gratitude Haiku

Yesterday I suggested adding the writing of poetry to your spiritual practice.  But I understand that poetry may be too abstract a practice for the beginner.  Here's a simpler approach:  gratitude haiku.

Why gratitude haiku, you ask?

First of all, a disclaimer. I'm using the word "haiku" very loosely. I understand that there's much more to haiku than the syllables per line (5-7-5).

The practice of gratitude journaling is one I've come back to periodically. You've probably done it too: at the end of the day, write down 5 things that fill you with gratitude. No doubt that it's a powerful practice. But I wanted to be honest. When I've kept this discipline for any length of time, my gratitude lists begin to seem quite similar. As always, cultivating a quality of mindfulness does not come naturally to me.

Once, I changed up my gratitude journaling practice. Quite by accident--as I recall, it was in a desperate attempt to stick to a poem-a-day ritual one April--I wrote a gratitude haiku. And then I wrote another. And I kept doing it for several weeks. The practice short-circuited my tendency to keep the same list. I found myself paying attention and trying on subjects for haiku possibilities. I found myself more lighthearted than I sometimes am when I'm keeping a gratitude journal--it's fun to write haikus.

So, I offer this to you as a complement to your other spiritual practices.  Here are some of my favorite examples from my periodic returns to this practice:


Thanksgiving 2014

Travels behind us,
We gather for food and fun,
Deeper nourishment.


Office Work

I am so much more
than the sum of my e-mails
whole worlds hidden plain