I used to keep a gratitude journal. Each night I would write an amount in it...a visit with a friend was worth a million dollars, a found $1.00 in the parking lot was $1.00, A hug was worth another million dollars, etc. At the end each night, I would add all of that up and found I was a millionaire every day. Truly a rich person and that began to change things financially...at least it relieved the angst of poverty. It was a manifestation of gratitude that spiraled every day creating the change of its own momentum.
Catherine, this is stunning. I love how concrete you made it by assigning actual value to what matters. A hug is worth a million dollars. That's exactly right. And the way you describe it "creating the change of its own momentum" - yes. That's the spiral. When gratitude becomes a practice, it builds on itself. You see more because you're looking. Thank you for sharing this.
Ilona, thank you for this. I’m not sure I’ve stopped to consider gratitude in a long time. In fact, even after thinking about what I’m grateful for, it was difficult to push aside the overwhelming feelings of anxiety brought on daily by the world we live in.
For me, I can’t just point to one specific thing, such as my 50 years of marriage to the same woman, or my two children who are both happy and successful in their lives, or the grandchildren I love so much, but wasn’t sure I’d ever have. I am truly grateful for these things—I consider myself blessed in this regard, considering the family I came from. That 9-year-old boy who promised himself a different future somehow kept that promise.
Your piece reminded me that gratitude and anxiety don’t have to be in competition. Today, I’m choosing to let gratitude have the louder voice. Thank you for that gift.
Keith, this moved me deeply. That 9-year-old boy who promised himself a different future and kept that promise - that's everything. And you're right: gratitude and anxiety don't have to compete. They can exist alongside each other. Some days the anxiety is louder, some days gratitude gets through. The spiral holds both. Thank you for letting gratitude have the louder voice today, and for sharing this with such honesty. I'm grateful you're here.
And I appreciate you sort of yanking me from the muck and mire today. I’ve felt a bit down the past few days, some old memories painfully resurfacing, but your piece said “suck it up, soldier” in the nicest way I’ve heard it said. I love my Substack community—so supportive, so caring. And all that from those we’ve never actually met, but yet seem to know so well.
Keith, I'm so glad it reached you when you needed it. Those old memories don't follow any schedule. They show up when they show up. And you're right about this community. There's something about showing up honestly in writing that creates real connection, even across distance. We see each other clearly here. Grateful you're part of it.
Good morning, Ilona! First, of course, thank you for this message. I love the symbol and its meanings. In my work, I teach that gratitude and joy are two sides of the same coin, and I practice that daily. Want more joy? Be the gratitude that fuels it. We have so much to be grateful for if we pay attention. Grazie Mille! 💝
Joy, I'm currently studying Italian via Duo Lingo and "grazie mille" was a recent phrase that I learned. It must be the Universe acting in concert with us! Grazie mille for helping me learn Italian!
Good morning, Joy! I love this - "be the gratitude that fuels it." That's exactly it. And yes, the paying attention part is everything. When I'm not exhausted from performing or managing everyone else's comfort, I actually have the bandwidth to notice what's worth being grateful for. It's like the gratitude was always there, but I was too depleted to see it.
The practice of gratitude changed my life over the last four years. When I finally found a way out of constant grief and started to look for all that I had in life rather than what I had lost, everything changed for me. I did not realize the symbolism of the three dots until you explained it, Ilona, and it makes perfect sense! The 'shift' in me has been the outreach I now do to help others. That is where the strength builds into that 'spiral' you refer to in your post. Thank you for the description of this Celtic symbol. You are right, if I were so inclined, it would make an excellent tattoo!
Candy, the shift from "what I lost" to "what I have" - that's profound work, especially in grief. And that you've turned it into outreach to help others? That's the spiral building on itself, creating its own momentum. The gratitude becomes strength, the strength becomes service, and it keeps moving outward. Thank you for sharing this. And yes, it would make a beautiful tattoo, a reminder of everything you've traveled through. 💙
I'm reading a book called "The Fourth Turning is Here," by Neil Howe. In it he talks about 3 perspectives of time throughout history: chaotic, seasonal, and linear. He shares that for centuries, humans perceived time as seasonal, the ebb and flow, the turning and returning. I didn't realize linear time is a relatively new construct. Your symbol reminded me there are so many frameworks to explore for understanding ourselves and each other better.
Niki, this is fascinating. I love the idea that seasonal/cyclical time was the norm for so long. Linear time creates this pressure that we're supposed to be moving "forward" constantly, progressing in a straight line. But the spiral honors both - yes, we're moving, yes, we're changing, but we're also circling back, returning to themes and questions and lessons in new ways. Thank you for this ! I'm adding that book to my list.
Ilona Goanos: The shape resonates as a variant on forms found in seashells and calculated with exactitude and drawn in mathematics by Archimedes, who lived in Syracuse (Sicily) during the turbulent Second Punic War. (The geometry of Archimedes aimed at the infinite and the infinitesimal and was a historical precursor to the Calculus. Archimedes life ended when a careless Roman soldier killed him, unaware that this was the great Geometer whose life the commanding general wanted to spare.)
The shape is powerful because: (1) We have distant thoughts of nature and the sea; and (2) Its uncertainty invites further questions and speculation.
Studies lead to platforms upon which to ask ever more, ever deeper, ever more far-reaching questions.
Armando, I love that you brought Archimedes into this - the connection to seashells and the infinite/infinitesimal is beautiful. You're right that the uncertainty is part of the power. I don't know if this symbol is ancient Celtic or modern invention, but it resonates regardless. Maybe that's because the spiral itself is so fundamental - it shows up in nature, in mathematics, in how we actually move through change. Thank you for adding this layer.
Since April of 2009, you, Ilona, have been at the center of my Gratitude Spiral (or Circle, or whatever shape we give it...) Thank you for being you, someone who is constantly evolving and who keeps life interesting in every way. Grazie mille!
So good, and I would love that as a tattoo! Sometimes I think, "You may struggle physically but look at where you live! Listen to the quiet! You get to paint every day! Your husband loves you!" At this, my heart lifts. Other times I struggle both physically and emotionally and gratitude is harder to reach. I know what it does, though, and changing the way I think brings about change in the way I feel. Thanks, Ilona!
Oh, I love that you want it as a tattoo! And yes - gratitude is so much easier to access when we're not also fighting ourselves emotionally. I think that's the thing we don't talk about enough: gratitude isn't a fix for the hard stuff, it's just... there alongside it. On the good days, it lifts us. On the brutal days, we know it's there even if we can't quite reach it. The spiral keeps turning either way. Thank you for this honest reflection.
I used to keep a gratitude journal. Each night I would write an amount in it...a visit with a friend was worth a million dollars, a found $1.00 in the parking lot was $1.00, A hug was worth another million dollars, etc. At the end each night, I would add all of that up and found I was a millionaire every day. Truly a rich person and that began to change things financially...at least it relieved the angst of poverty. It was a manifestation of gratitude that spiraled every day creating the change of its own momentum.
Catherine, this is stunning. I love how concrete you made it by assigning actual value to what matters. A hug is worth a million dollars. That's exactly right. And the way you describe it "creating the change of its own momentum" - yes. That's the spiral. When gratitude becomes a practice, it builds on itself. You see more because you're looking. Thank you for sharing this.
Ilona, thank you for this. I’m not sure I’ve stopped to consider gratitude in a long time. In fact, even after thinking about what I’m grateful for, it was difficult to push aside the overwhelming feelings of anxiety brought on daily by the world we live in.
For me, I can’t just point to one specific thing, such as my 50 years of marriage to the same woman, or my two children who are both happy and successful in their lives, or the grandchildren I love so much, but wasn’t sure I’d ever have. I am truly grateful for these things—I consider myself blessed in this regard, considering the family I came from. That 9-year-old boy who promised himself a different future somehow kept that promise.
Your piece reminded me that gratitude and anxiety don’t have to be in competition. Today, I’m choosing to let gratitude have the louder voice. Thank you for that gift.
Keith, this moved me deeply. That 9-year-old boy who promised himself a different future and kept that promise - that's everything. And you're right: gratitude and anxiety don't have to compete. They can exist alongside each other. Some days the anxiety is louder, some days gratitude gets through. The spiral holds both. Thank you for letting gratitude have the louder voice today, and for sharing this with such honesty. I'm grateful you're here.
And I appreciate you sort of yanking me from the muck and mire today. I’ve felt a bit down the past few days, some old memories painfully resurfacing, but your piece said “suck it up, soldier” in the nicest way I’ve heard it said. I love my Substack community—so supportive, so caring. And all that from those we’ve never actually met, but yet seem to know so well.
Keith, I'm so glad it reached you when you needed it. Those old memories don't follow any schedule. They show up when they show up. And you're right about this community. There's something about showing up honestly in writing that creates real connection, even across distance. We see each other clearly here. Grateful you're part of it.
Good morning, Ilona! First, of course, thank you for this message. I love the symbol and its meanings. In my work, I teach that gratitude and joy are two sides of the same coin, and I practice that daily. Want more joy? Be the gratitude that fuels it. We have so much to be grateful for if we pay attention. Grazie Mille! 💝
Joy, I'm currently studying Italian via Duo Lingo and "grazie mille" was a recent phrase that I learned. It must be the Universe acting in concert with us! Grazie mille for helping me learn Italian!
Good morning, Joy! I love this - "be the gratitude that fuels it." That's exactly it. And yes, the paying attention part is everything. When I'm not exhausted from performing or managing everyone else's comfort, I actually have the bandwidth to notice what's worth being grateful for. It's like the gratitude was always there, but I was too depleted to see it.
The practice of gratitude changed my life over the last four years. When I finally found a way out of constant grief and started to look for all that I had in life rather than what I had lost, everything changed for me. I did not realize the symbolism of the three dots until you explained it, Ilona, and it makes perfect sense! The 'shift' in me has been the outreach I now do to help others. That is where the strength builds into that 'spiral' you refer to in your post. Thank you for the description of this Celtic symbol. You are right, if I were so inclined, it would make an excellent tattoo!
Candy, the shift from "what I lost" to "what I have" - that's profound work, especially in grief. And that you've turned it into outreach to help others? That's the spiral building on itself, creating its own momentum. The gratitude becomes strength, the strength becomes service, and it keeps moving outward. Thank you for sharing this. And yes, it would make a beautiful tattoo, a reminder of everything you've traveled through. 💙
I'm reading a book called "The Fourth Turning is Here," by Neil Howe. In it he talks about 3 perspectives of time throughout history: chaotic, seasonal, and linear. He shares that for centuries, humans perceived time as seasonal, the ebb and flow, the turning and returning. I didn't realize linear time is a relatively new construct. Your symbol reminded me there are so many frameworks to explore for understanding ourselves and each other better.
Niki, this is fascinating. I love the idea that seasonal/cyclical time was the norm for so long. Linear time creates this pressure that we're supposed to be moving "forward" constantly, progressing in a straight line. But the spiral honors both - yes, we're moving, yes, we're changing, but we're also circling back, returning to themes and questions and lessons in new ways. Thank you for this ! I'm adding that book to my list.
Ilona Goanos: The shape resonates as a variant on forms found in seashells and calculated with exactitude and drawn in mathematics by Archimedes, who lived in Syracuse (Sicily) during the turbulent Second Punic War. (The geometry of Archimedes aimed at the infinite and the infinitesimal and was a historical precursor to the Calculus. Archimedes life ended when a careless Roman soldier killed him, unaware that this was the great Geometer whose life the commanding general wanted to spare.)
The shape is powerful because: (1) We have distant thoughts of nature and the sea; and (2) Its uncertainty invites further questions and speculation.
Studies lead to platforms upon which to ask ever more, ever deeper, ever more far-reaching questions.
Armando, I love that you brought Archimedes into this - the connection to seashells and the infinite/infinitesimal is beautiful. You're right that the uncertainty is part of the power. I don't know if this symbol is ancient Celtic or modern invention, but it resonates regardless. Maybe that's because the spiral itself is so fundamental - it shows up in nature, in mathematics, in how we actually move through change. Thank you for adding this layer.
Grateful that grateful is alive and moving in infinite unfathomable ways
Yes. Infinite and unfathomable - I love that. The spiral never stops. ✨
Since April of 2009, you, Ilona, have been at the center of my Gratitude Spiral (or Circle, or whatever shape we give it...) Thank you for being you, someone who is constantly evolving and who keeps life interesting in every way. Grazie mille!
I love this. So worth a long, slow reread- maybe every day. Thank you. 🙏
Leah, thank you. That means so much - that it's worth coming back to. 🙏
So good, and I would love that as a tattoo! Sometimes I think, "You may struggle physically but look at where you live! Listen to the quiet! You get to paint every day! Your husband loves you!" At this, my heart lifts. Other times I struggle both physically and emotionally and gratitude is harder to reach. I know what it does, though, and changing the way I think brings about change in the way I feel. Thanks, Ilona!
Oh, I love that you want it as a tattoo! And yes - gratitude is so much easier to access when we're not also fighting ourselves emotionally. I think that's the thing we don't talk about enough: gratitude isn't a fix for the hard stuff, it's just... there alongside it. On the good days, it lifts us. On the brutal days, we know it's there even if we can't quite reach it. The spiral keeps turning either way. Thank you for this honest reflection.