Appreciation is an art,
It pierces doom-balloons in your life like a dart!
Joy in life is what most of us naturally seek,
It raises your spirits high as a mountain peak!
Each day pay attention to what brings you joy,
It’s the kind of feeling you experienced from a favored
childhood toy!
The art of appreciation closes the door to greed,
You are then free to enjoy everyday joys indeed!
You’ll never achieve much joy in your life,
If you let discontent cause you strife!
Day by day appreciation is the thing to do,
It lifts you above life’s messy stews!
Appreciation is an art,
It pierces doom-balloons in your life like a dart!
©2015 Robert J. Barta, Blooming Bobville, the practical poet.
Author’s comment: Joy in living is a personal pursuit. Appreciation is called an art because each of us experiences joy, pleasure, wellbeing and wellness in a different way and to different degrees. Day by day the practice of appreciation is the thing to do. It lifts you above life’s messy stews! Best of luck in practicing the art of appreciation, day by day.
fivestarteacher question & suggestions to help you engage in practicing the art of appreciation to lift and support your spirits and keep a positive attitude, day by day:
1. Day by day, do you schedule a few minutes to think about the many blessings you do have, like seeing, thinking, hearing, walking, having a friend or friends, music, song, a special teacher or mentor, or poetry to read that uplifts your spirits?
2. Day by day, do you understand the value of your many blessings or do you mostly think moodily and depressingly about things you don’t have that you wished you had? Feeling sorry or constant disappointment is stinking thinking. Dump it!
3. Day by day, do you make a mental list of the things that bring fun and joy to your life or do you internally rant about your misfortunes and lack of luxuries others have?
4. Day by day, do you schedule a few minutes to plan consciously things to do that bring you fun and joy within the capabilities that you do have?
5. Day by day, what new things are coming into your benefits-awareness from practicing the art of appreciation? How can you keep them coming your way?
6. Day by day, what other things are you doing to protect and preserve that which you have that brings you joy, health and a sense of wellbeing etc.? Start with the art of appreciation. gratefulness, thankfulness. What else? Good luck creating your own appreciation things to do to maintain and sustain your power of appreciation.
Discovering and Experiencing the Value of Appreciation (modified Villanelle style format)
Practicing the art of appreciation,
Requires only minutes a day and
Is a way to experience and sustain joy in life!
To raise and sustain your quality of life each day,
Requires conscious effort to be aware of and sustain joy by,
Practicing the art of appreciation!
Appreciation is the practice of thinking and
Of being aware of what brings you joy, day by day and
Is a way to experience and sustain wellness and
wellbeing in your daily life!
Understanding, valuing, caring, love and respect,
Are specific tools that open the doors to learning and
Practicing the art of appreciation!
Day by day pay attention to what brings you joy,
With the tools of understanding, valuing, caring, love and respect,
You’ll find ways to sustain the experience of joy in your life!
Each day plan to adapt and adjust your attention,
To taking care of and respect what brings you joy and
As you practice the art of appreciation you’ll discover that,
Appreciation is an effective way to experience and sustain joy in your life!
©2015 Robert J. Barta, Blooming Bobville, the practical poet.
Author’s summary of the meaning of the stanzas of the three lines in Discovering and Experiencing the Value of Appreciation.
These stanza summaries are included to help you add value to this poem. In addition, to further add value to the meaning of the stanzas, the author invites you to reread the stanzas, one at a time and write your own interpretations. Try it again in a few weeks and see how you might add still more value to the poem by making the practice of appreciation a daily habit.
Stanza #1.
Art is not a specific measurable quantity. There is no finite amount, pounds, inches, gallons, etc. for
empirically measuring how much joy you are experiencing. That’s what art is about. Either you feel
joy in your own way or you don’t! Joy, like happiness, pleasure, etc. is a total personal experience.
Certainly there are degrees of joy, sometimes small and sometimes almost overwhelming. The thing is, the meaning and experience of joy is a very personal experience. That’s why it is called the Art of Appreciation.
2. Appreciation is the way we experience and understand and the value being able to breath, see, hear, and enjoy food, other persons, other places or other things that create a sense of wellness and wellbeing.
3. Day by day be aware of and think about specific persons, places or things that bring joy to your life.Ask yourself what or how you can improve understanding, valuing, caring, love and respect for that which brings you joy.
4. To understand and improve the degree of value for the art of appreciation, schedule a few minutes during your day to practice being aware of what makes you feel well or what causes you to be in good spirits. It can be a person, a place or a thing. By improving and sustaining joy in your day you will happily respond in a positive way to others: In that way you multiply the value of the practice of the art of appreciation for everyone you meet or work with.
5. Understanding, valuing, caring, love and respect are the essential tools or ways to work at the art of appreciation. You may add to that list and find your own ways to make the art of appreciation a part of your every day experience.
6. Lacking the mental exercise of practicing understanding, valuing, caring, love and respect exposes you to the ills of greed and carelessness. This lack of regard for those other persons, places or things robs you of the qualities of joy, wellness and sense of wellbeing. As you practice the art of appreciation you’ll discover that, appreciation is an effective way to experience and sustain joy in life!
©2015 Robert J. Barta, Blooming Bobville the practical poet.
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