Growing Gratitude

Gratitude often takes center stage during the fall harvest and Thanksgiving season—and for good reason. This is a natural time to pause, reflect, and check in with our gratitude practice. It gives us space to notice where we’re thriving… and where we might want to strengthen that muscle a little more.

Because that’s what gratitude is.

Not just a feeling. Not just a holiday theme.
Gratitude is something we practice. Something we choose.

And like a muscle, the more we use it—the stronger it becomes.

When we practice gratitude regularly, we start to notice things we may have overlooked: light through the leaves, a warm mug in our hands, the way someone looked at
us when we needed it most.

Dr. Christopher often reminded us that health isn’t just physical – it’s emotional, spiritual, and relational too. Gratitude nourishes all of these. It doesn’t always change our circumstances, but it transforms how we move through them.

Science is catching up to what Dr. Christopher lived: gratitude is medicine.

• Studies show that practicing gratitude can lower cortisol levels by up to 23%, which supports the immune system and reduces stress.
• It also boosts the release of
  dopamine and serotonin—those feel-good neurotransmitters that regulate mood and ease anxiety.
• People who actively practice gratitude show more resilience in the face of emotional setbacks and can reframe difficult situations more easily (McCraty & Childre, 2004).

Gratitude doesn’t erase pain
or hardship—but it helps us notice the good within it. And that noticing frees us. It helps us meet difficulty with more grace, more compassion, and more lightness. The situation might not change… but we do.

Dr. Christopher was known for his cheerfulness. People simply felt better in his presence. But that cheerfulness didn’t come
from a charmed life – it came from practice. He faced more than his share of challenges, yet chose again and again to respond with gratitude, kindness, and love.

That choice shaped the man we remember: the gentle grandfather, the compassionate herbalist, the peaceful healer – even while standing in handcuffs.

I’ve felt the power of gratitude in my own life. Each evening, I write down 1 – 3 things I’m grateful for. Some days the list flows easily. Some days, it’s harder. But over time, this simple practice has changed me.

It helps me see beauty more clearly, even in difficulty. I’m quicker to reframe, less likely to spiral, and better able to let go. Gratitude softens what’s sharp and opens what’s closed.

And truly – herbalism itself is a form of gratitude. It’s a practice of noticing. Of receiving. Of giving back. I’m grateful for the
plants growing around me, for the peace they bring, and the health they offer. Sitting with them grounds me. Using them reminds me that the Earth provides… and that as we nurture, we receive.

Living in gratitude doesn’t mean pretending everything is perfect. It simply gives us space to notice what is still true, still beautiful,
and still good.

This season, I invite you to breathe more slowly.
Notice the small details.
And write down just a few things you’re grateful for each day.
Keep practicing. Keep choosing. Keep building that beautiful muscle.

Gratitude will change your health.

And more than that – it will change your life.

Tara Christopher Eyre is a Master Herbalist and Foot Zone Therapist who loves helping people find and stay on their path to better health. She is grateful to walk in the footsteps of her grandfather, Dr. John R. Christopher, and finds joy in sharing simple, natural ways to support the body and soul.