A Continuous Feast: Finding Abundance to Nourish You for a Lifetime 

Now begins a season of togetherness and revelry across cultures and around the world. Yet this year, for many, the holidays will play out quite differently than in the past. 

Table settings may be more sparse, with health warnings keeping loved ones apart and some folks simply unable to afford a decadent holiday meal. At a time when we are meant to celebrate abundance, many people are struggling with feelings of grief. How do we conjure thanks when we might feel anything but? 

It’s not easy—but it’s definitely possible. iRest can help.

In her book Everyday Grace: Having Hope, Finding Forgiveness And Making Miracles, Marianne Williamson writes, “As long as we remain vigilant at building our internal abundance—an abundance of integrity, an abundance of forgiveness, an abundance of service, an abundance of love—then external lack is bound to be temporary.”

Indeed, the world is not bankrupt, and neither are we. 

Discovering this “internal abundance” is like finding a hidden treasure. We never knew it existed, or had only heard of it in legends. When we finally behold its glory, our lives are forever changed as we realize the vast wealth and bounty living inside us. We contain more than enough love, goodness, power, and joy to last a lifetime. 

It’s normal that many of us need a treasure map to find that abundance. That’s where iRest can be useful, along with other tools. Believing the abundance it exists, and paying careful attention along the journey, bodes well for any seeker. iRest founder Richard Miller writes, “Gratitude manifests the more you attend to its feeling in your body. It’s that simple. The more you experience gratitude, the easier it becomes to access, feel, and express gratitude.”

Key steps along the path include:

• Know that inner abundance is your birthright. 
• Practice gratitude often. Keep a journal that marks at least one thing to be grateful for every day. Express your gratitude to others.
• Practice giving. It’s a phenomenon of humanity that, the more we give, the more we seem to have. As Anne Frank famously wrote, “No one has ever become poor from giving.”
• Need help getting centered? Try this free meditation from Kathleen Knipp.

Ancient Greek philosopher Epicurus dedicated his life to sharing teachings of simple pleasures, freedom from pain, and the joy of human connection. We can’t say for sure, but think that, based on these principles, he would’ve been a natural addition to the iRest community. He famously said, "The grateful heart sits at a continuous feast." 

This holiday and beyond, we at iRest Institute wish you a never ending feast. May you find your inborn abundance and savor this life!