Publishers Weekly
06/22/2020
Nelson (Everyday Gratitude), executive director of the online community A Network for Grateful Living, shares the teachings of the network’s founder, David Steindl-Rast, in this thorough guide intended to transform one’s life through the practice of gratefulness. Gratefulness, according to Nelson, is a “way of being that helps us to focus our attention and navigate our lives with gratitude as our compass.” After explaining the foundational principles—life is a gift, everything is surprise, the ordinary is extraordinary, appreciation is generative, and love is transformative—and practices of gratefulness (such as the “stop, look, go” strategy for “acquiring perspective through experience and intention”), Nelson applies them to different concerns and themes, such as the body, emotions, nature, and loss. For instance, she urges readers to “seek a perspective of wonder and reverence” through attentive observation of nature and by listing one’s habits and choices that are ecologically harmful. One of the book’s strongest features is Nelson’s account of surviving stage IV cancer when she was 33. (“Surviving cancer taught me to notice all that is available here and now,” she writes.) Though the premise is stretched thin and the advice gets repetitive, Nelson manages to pack in plenty of inspirational material. Those interested in mindfulness-based spirituality will appreciate Nelson’s message of flourishing amid uncertainty. (Nov.)
From the Publisher
This book reminds us of what is most important and not to be taken for granted — and how to align our lives with that vital awakening to the beauty and possibility that is always present amidst the darkness and the fear.” — Jon Kabat-Zinn, founder of MBSR (mindfulness-based stress reduction) and author of Full Catastrophe Living and Mindfulness for All “Like gratefulness itself, the book comfortably holds extremes: it’s expansive yet concise, individual yet relational, and personal yet universal. It represents an abiding belief in abundance and fierce commitment to wonder, but it’s also grounded in reality, recognizing that life is uncertain and hard, and that it is lived in a flawed, fallible body. Wisdom and grace abound in the text, which is calm and cognizant of the fact that people are seeking gratefulness amid raging battles and hard circumstances. Wake Up Grateful is an invitation to a new way of living, even in the most challenging times.” — Foreword Reviews “Wake Up Grateful will make you think about gratefulness more deeply and give thanks more widely. This is not a book to rush through, but to savor. The pages crackle with raw honesty, deep wisdom, profound realizations, and practical guidelines. Reading it was a true gift, and left me more convinced than ever before that gratefulness is the deepest touchpoint of human existence.” — Robert Emmons, professor of psychology at University of California–Davis, and author of Thanks! How Practicing Gratitude Can Make You Happier, Gratitude Works!, and The Little Book of Gratitude “Wake Up Grateful is exquisitely touching, powerful, and real. This book will make a lasting difference to those fortunate enough to read it. The creation of a new future will be profoundly served by this message and the heart and depth from which it comes. I hope this book gets into the hands of as many people as possible.” — Lynne Twist, author of The Soul of Money and founder of SOMI “With this book, Kristi offers a timely guide to circulate more gratitude in our hearts and build bridges in our communities. If her five guiding principles were pinned to every bathroom mirror, not only would we Wake Up Grateful but we would most certainly wake up to a different world.” — Nipun Mehta, founder, ServiceSpace “Kristi Nelson has written a book absolutely packed with information that is both inspiring and practical. This is a difficult balance to achieve, and she has done it beautifully. Put this book on your nightstand and read a little bit every day.” — Stephen Cope, Scholar Emeritus, Kripalu Center for Yoga and Health and best-selling author of The Great Work of Your Life “Kristi Nelson has written a soul-revealing and stirring companion for life’s peaks and valleys. I’m grateful for her wisdom and this book.” — Rachel Bagby, founder, Singing Farm Sanctuary “The capacity to look at oneself and one’s life exactly as they are with gratefulness is the capacity most needed to live fully, rise through suffering, and contribute to the well-being of the world. Kristi Nelson’s inspired work ought to be in every school desk and hotel nightstand and on every kitchen counter. With her guidance we are prepared to hold our lives tenderly, be kind, and love each other fully.” — Maria Sirois, Psy.D., author of A Short Course in Happiness After Loss (and Other Dark, Difficult Times) “The most valuable spiritual guidebooks, the kind you keep next to your bed, are grounded in the writer's personal awakening. Cancer taught Kristi Nelson to accept the uncertainty and impermanence of life, and through that she discovered gratefulness as a path to healing and wholeness. Now she offers it to us, and it is a blessing to receive.” — Mirabai Bush, Senior Fellow, Center for Contemplative Mind in Society and coauthor of Walking Each Other Home: Conversations on Loving and Dying
