What are you grateful for today? Gratitude is a wonderful way to begin the day. We are told when we are stressed to think of the things for which we are grateful. That it is impossible to feel stress while feeling grateful. It's practice that can take place at the beginning of the day when you wake, at the end of the day before you sleep, or even at a traffic light during your commute. Perhaps, in the car really IS a good time to be grateful to offset the stress of rush hour! To be grateful you woke up to yet another day.
Today as I scrolled my app that I sometimes use for guided meditation, but more often as a timer for it, I noticed a short 4 minute talk. The title was focused on how to live blissfully and I decided to give it a listen before meditating. Basically, it was about being grateful for life and reminding us that our life is really just a "brief happening" to quote the author. We woke up today. Hopefully, our loved ones all woke up today, too. Probably, a million people didn't wake up today or one of their loved ones didn't. We really are fortunate just to be here. To have another day. It was a simple, but really good reminder.
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When we are reminded of our mortality, then the small inconveniences, the disagreements with loved ones, the person in traffic that cut you off, the lunch that didn't arrive as you had ordered it...these all don't seem so important. We are still here on this amazing planet of blue sky, clouds, trees, flowers, green grass, mountains, oceans, and living creatures, including our pets....the list goes on with so many things of beauty. We often forget to appreciate them. Many things, including our just being here.
There are people who have been in my life and so many who still are here that make my heart swell with love. I miss those who are gone, but have so many dear ones still with me and I don't want to imagine being without them. There is a song whose lines go something about "minutes turn into days, days turn into years...all in the blink of an eye". Try to slow it down. Life does have difficulties and things don't always go the way we hoped they would. But, focus on what is right. Focus on what you do have. Take a few minutes to be grateful for it all and for just being here to be a part of it. You're still here. You woke up today. And, that's big!
