Journalling Gratitude

Day Three

This image of beautiful, expanding heart full of energy was found on the blog referred to in this story, but here is the link to the image http://buttercupchappati.typepad.com/.a/6a00d834548c7469e2019b03532e17970d-800wi

My beautiful, healing friend taught me a lesson in gratitude today via her blog article. Her teaching was on accepting all the negatives that happen and consciously finding a reason to be grateful for them. It is part of her Buddhist practice / tradition and a form of mind training. All of it resonates with me, but one specific part of it she mentions rings especially true with my life experience for 2013.

When everything goes wrong, treat disaster as a way to wake up.

I haven’t quite figured out what exactly I’m supposed to be waking up from, but I know quite clearly the universe felt it necessary to punch me in the face to get my attention.

I found this meme just by searching Google for “punch in the face”. Google says the image is from here: http://www.troll.me/images/victory-baby/i-will-punch-you-in-da-face.jpg

I kinda think it’s been about reconnecting to spirituality and I kinda think it’s about tuning into my feminine nature and turning down my reliance on my masculine nature. Regardless of what this year has ultimately been about, I need to find the good in the bad. So, in following the example of my beautiful, healing friend… today I will journal my gratitude for negatives.

1. For unexpectedly losing the bulk of our household income: Because it has taught me we can live with less and what is important is not found in accumulation of pretty things.
2. For having a life-threatening medical affliction at the age of 35: Because it has taught me how precious this life is and reminded me to not wait to do the important things.
3. For being retrenched from my new job in the midst of a personal medical crisis: Because it has taught me how to ask for the help of others AND how to accept the help that is offered.
4. For having to hand my beautiful Land Rover Discovery back into the leasing company: Because it taught me about the uselessness of becoming attached to a ‘thing’. And because it reminded me to appreciate the opportunity I had to ‘own’ said ‘thing’.
5. For the feeling of having a midlife crisis and not being able to identify myself without a career: Because it has helped me realize / remember that I am not my job … I am more than what I do. And because it has helped me identify what I DO NOT want / WILL NOT accept in a job when I am able to return to work. And because it’s possibly helping me to identify what I am most afraid of.

Life lessons all of them. I, too, will use them to continue to transform.