Every morning as part of my daily ritual, I take two gummy vitamins for my body, and a mega dose of vitamin G – gratitude – for my spirit. When I do this regularly, I am much happier, more centered and accepting. It is hard to be thankful and resentful at the same time.

I am incredibly grateful for all the abundance in my life – love, family, friends and so many other blessings. I’m grateful for where I am and who I am, and for living in alignment with my purpose. I’m thankful for all of you and your feedback – posted or shared verbally.

Since I’m feeling such an attitude of gratitude, I thought I’d share some of my favorite quotes on the topic:

“Do not ask for more before saying, ‘Thank you’ for everything you have already received.” ―John Geiger

“Gratitude turns what we have into enough, and more. It turns denial into acceptance, chaos into order, confusion into clarity…it makes sense of our past, brings peace for today, and creates a vision for tomorrow.” ―Melody Beattie

“Count your blessings while others are adding up their troubles.” ―William Penn

“At times, our own light goes out and is rekindled by a spark from another person. Each of us has cause to think with deep gratitude of those who have lighted the flame within us.” ― Albert Schweitzer

“Feeling gratitude and not expressing it is like wrapping a present and not giving it.” ―William Arthur Ward

“Gratitude can transform common days into thanksgivings, turn routine jobs into joy, and change ordinary opportunities into blessings.” ―William Arthur Ward

“Develop an attitude of gratitude, and give thanks for everything that happens to you, knowing that every step forward is a step toward achieving something bigger and better than your current situation.” ―Brian Tracy

“Realize that it’s not happiness that makes us grateful, but gratefulness that makes us happy. Make a habit of noticing the goodness that’s already yours and you will see more of it every time you look for it.”  ―MarcandAngel.com

“If the only prayer you say in your life is thank you, that would suffice.” — Meister Eckhart

I don’t know when it happens exactly, but at some point, it seems we go from experiencing life from head to toe to experiencing life just from the head. The two get disconnected, and at their worst, start battling each other.

My head often refers to my body as the Basement – something only to cart her 4-pound Majesty around. In turn, my body often thinks of my head as the Attic, and a haunted one at that.

It’s like the World Boxing Championship on some days. (Cue announcer’s voice): “In one corner, weighing four pounds, is The Head!” “In the other corner, weighing 112 pounds, is The Body!” And they go at it.

Here’s what happens:

You wake up, go and look in the mirror, and immediately think, “oh God, not another wrinkle,” or “Geez, I look fat today.” And in the ring, the body goes down in shame.

Or your head, lover of the idea of a human doing vs. being, runs the body ragged with all its “to-dos” and “shoulds” and doesn’t let it rest enough. So, the body fights back and gets sick, maybe a nice little strep throat or mono, and there’s not much the head can do but let the basement heal before it cracks the whip again.

But what if.

What if instead of waking up in the ring and starting the fight, the head and body approached each other and hugged? What if they listened to each other instead of trading insults like an old married couple? What if the head realized the body isn’t a basement at all but a powerhouse of intelligence?

Neurocardiologists at the Institute of HeartMath have found that 60 to 65 percent of heart cells are neuron cells, not muscle cells. This discovery has led to experiments proving the heart works similar to the brain and in some ways, they say, is even superior to the brain. Take that, Attic! And there are even more neurons in your gut, leading neuroscientists to refer to it as the “second brain.”

Science aside, when we can expand our awareness and decision-making to our body – listening to gut feelings, intuition and our heart — we can make much better choices and enjoy life far more. The body appreciates being listened to and will respond lovingly. And the head finds more peace and bliss in settling down and letting go.

Did you ever see the Big Bang Theory episode where Amy tries to employ behavior modification on Sheldon’s obsessive need for closure? She erases the tic-tac-toe game before anyone can win, stops singing the national anthem at the second-to-last-line, and makes him box up his elaborate domino layout before he can push the first tile and watch them fall in succession.

It’s a humorous look at our need for certainty and the lengths we’ll go to get it. I can relate a lot to Sheldon, especially at times when there’s a lot ambiguity and I’m feeling stuck or overwhelmed.

When stress hits and hits hard, we go to our strongest or most deep-seated patterns of behavior because they bring us comfort (even if they’re not healthy). Some people get angry and lash out. Some shut down and isolate. My go-to vehicle for certainty is worrying and trying to control what happens by organizing the heck out of my current chaos. But my elaborate color-coded to-do lists and spreadsheets — while they work to a point — don’t always guarantee closure, complete a project, heal the sick kitty or sell the house.

And when you have a high need for certainty, as I do, you can’t just suddenly shed it and become a free spirit who simply tosses her hair and says “whatever” a lot. You just need to find a different, healthier vehicle to meet your need.

So I need to return to releasing outcomes. Letting go seems to be the antithesis of certainty, but if I accept things for what they are, do my very best and trust I’ll get through whatever happens, I get to certainty in a much healthier and more peaceful way.

And p.s., I think they call that faith.