Regina Folk Festival artistic director on gratitude
Nichole Huck | CBC News | Posted: October 11, 2015 11:00 PM | Last Updated: October 11, 2015
Sandra Butel takes to Facebook to combat negativity
"I'm very interested in what affects people's hearts and my own, and our emotions and how we feel in the world, said Sandra Butel while holding a cup of espresso at her kitchen table.
The longtime director of the Regina Folk Festival has a lot to be grateful for, but it's only recently that she started giving serious thought to how she expresses her gratitude.
"I've realized lately that there's a lot of research that proves that meditation and gratitude actually improves your ability to see things in a positive way. Our brains are hard-wired to pick up the negative stuff, so we don't get eaten by a saber-tooth tiger but that is no longer serving us in our world," said Butel.
Facebook Gratitude
Butel read that it takes 21 days to create a habit. So every day for 21 days she is posting to Facebook three things for which she is grateful.
It's kind of a strange place but I think Facebook needs some gratitude and some positivity. - Sandra Butel
"It's kind of a strange place but I think Facebook needs some gratitude and some positivity," said Butel.
Butel said it's easy to be grateful for the creature comforts of life, but part of what she enjoys is the challenge of taking what could be considered a negative experience and finding the positive.
"Being grateful for someone that challenged me in a way that was painful is very surprising, and when I'm able to be grateful for them, my conversation with them is completely different."
Butel said it comes from a much more gentle place where we can be grateful for those people who offer us challenge.
"It's an opportunity to grow and learn and be more comfortable with who we are."
Going public
"By making it public, it makes me vulnerable. But it also puts more positivity out there," explained Butel. "I'm very affected myself by the negativity I see on social media, so it's like OK. I'm going to be part of replacing it, not with pictures of kittens, but things we could appreciate."
So far, Butel has found herself grateful for everything from homegrown tomatoes, to clean laundry, to smart women.
She encourages anyone who is interested in this practice to start by challenging themselves to 21 days of gratitude.