You’re Grateful for That??

I was looking over some journals I had written during a very hard time in my life, and noticed that I had written pages and pages of what I was grateful for at that time.

This was a time in my life when everything was stripped away. Many cultures call this the dark night of the soul. It’s a time when what we think is important to us is taken and we’re left with nothing to hold on to, nothing to lean on. Most people close to me at that time didn’t even know it was happening since I suffered alone in fear and isolation.

Even though I was surrounded by friends and people that loved me, I was truly alone.

Gratitude is what pulled me up and out of that dark place by turning my attention to what I did have, what I did love, and what was good in my life.
My list during that time was simple.  By everyday standards, I didn’t have much to be grateful for…yet because I was so devastated, the simple things were what I had to hold on to. It was my awareness of these things and my focus upon them that kept me positive.

I escaped that dark place by deciding each morning before my feet hit the ground next to my bed, three things I was grateful for in my life. At that time, simple things were on my list: the sun was out, my bed was warm and my dog loved me.
We’re talking SIMPLE.

Looking back, I am convinced that moment of gratitude set me in motion towards a positive day. That moment was the deciding factor for the entire day.
And slowly, day by positive day, my life improved and the situation passed.

I still do this each morning, even though these days my life is bright and joyful. Sometimes it’s just appreciating the way the light is coming up in the sky as I drink my cup of coffee. Other times it’s the sound of the birds or the feeling of my dog laying near my feet.
Of course I’m grateful for the big things that come my way….real love, good news, lucky breaks, etc.  But most times, it’s my attention to the little things that set my day on it’s positive course.  It’s the attention to what is good in my world that sets my mind in motion to look for more of that goodness.

Gratitude keeps me mindful of remembering how truly blessed I am.  And that habit of looking for goodness each morning, compounds upon itself daily.
xo

Image Courtesy of D. Sharon Pruitt at Flickr Creative Commons.