“Acknowledging the good that you already have in your life
is the foundation for all abundance.”
Eckhart Tolle
Greetings Everyone,
On Sunday it rained and rained some more with over two inches flooding the earth around our house. It was the first real rain for many weeks and although I needed an umbrella to go outside, it was welcome. I am grateful for the rain and grateful too for so many other blessings.
Did you know that gratitude was one of the best coping mechanisms you could have during the pandemic? We became more aware of how important family, friends and business associates were, and how much we needed to reach out virtually and in other ways to touch them.
According to an article by Gina Hamadey in the June/July issue of Elle magazine, our collective instincts are clearly on to something: Studies show gratitude helps in tough times, and it’s proven especially comforting in the past year. In December 2020, the U.K.’s University of Surrey posed the question, what coping mechanism was the most helpful during lockdown: focusing on nostalgia, gratitude for the present, or hope for the future? It found that gratitude and optimism were far more important.
“Sitting with any feeling, whether positive, neutral, or negative, has the potential to rewire our neural connections due to our neuroplastic brains,” explains Bret Stetka, author of A History of the Human Brain. “When we use any brain network—whether for riding a bike or playing a guitar—those neuronal connections are strengthened and more easily called upon. Expressing gratitude and sitting with your positive feelings towards others bolsters these networks, making it easier for the brain to access that warmth.”
Recently we received a handwritten thank you note for birthday flowers we sent to a 97-year-old client. She, like others of her generation, was raised with this practice of social etiquette. Although traditions have changed, being the recipient of this very special handwritten note brightened my day and gave me pause to be grateful for people like this in my life. Anytime someone takes the time to send a handwritten note, it is treasured.
Judith McGee, L.H.D., CFP®, ChFC
Executive Vice President and Senior Lead Advisor
Several market-moving economic reports are out this week. Inflation is the focus with the Producer Price Index and prices for imports and exports. The Federal Reserve's industrial production report for May is also available. Manufacturing has been picking up steam with the easing of pandemic-related restrictions. Investors seem to be waiting to see if the Group of Seven (G-7) agree to impose levies on big firms to help participating countries collect more taxes. Also, investors will be watching for signs from the Federal Open Market Committee, which meets this week, that fiscal stimulus will remain in place, despite rising inflationary pressures.
Source: Broadridge Investor Communication Solutions, Inc.
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