Even More Gratitude
I know I do sometimes go on about gratitude, but I think it is so important a practice. The other day I was sitting in the sun, watching the sea and feeling such an enormous feeling of peace and gratitude. I was sitting in a little cove about a mile from where I live. I hadn’t been able to get to the cove for the past eight months. It is only accessible by walking along the sea wall and I wasn’t capable of walking that far. You can imagine how I felt, at last being able to get there and enjoy the sea.
I felt such huge gratitude to my body for healing itself enough for me to do the walk, gratitude that I was living in such a wonderful place, gratitude that I had an afternoon where I could just sit and be, gratitude that I live on such a beautiful planet.
After I got home I began thinking about the past eight months and my continuing practice of gratitude. It wasn’t always easy especially when in pain or discomfort but I realised that there was still so much to be grateful for. My hip, although stopping me walking any distance, didn’t stop me from travelling to Austria and Germany in May where I not only met many old friends but led a retreat. My hip did not stop me from travelling to Scotland, to run a workshop or stop me walking to some of the magnificent stone circles once I was there. In fact, except for walking any distance my life this year has been incredibly wonderful.
I also thought about the days when I felt I had nothing to be grateful for. When in pain, tired, when feeling I didn’t have enough, not enough time, not enough money, not enough time with my children. In those days I forced myself to think of something to be grateful for.
Sometimes what I thought about being grateful for was actually quite comical, or very small but it really helped me to stay positive. Sometimes I would look in my wardrobe and be grateful that I had nice things to wear, even though I had nowhere to wear them to. Sometimes I would do my leg exercises and be grateful that I could actually do leg exercises. Sometimes, when I did my zoom sessions, I felt so truly grateful that I do what I do and see how much that helps others. Sometimes I went into the garden and smelt my roses and felt so grateful that a) I could smell and b) my roses could create a scent for me to smell.
There was always something I felt grateful for and as a consequence of that the days when I woke up feeling there was nothing to be grateful for became less and the feeling didn’t last for so long. It was like there was some new wiring in my brain which kept me more positive, more optimistic no matter what happened in my life, health wise, time wise.
I find myself being grateful for everything even when it doesn’t seem there is anything to be grateful for. A great example of that was today. I walked to the railway station, well once I’d walked to the Cove the station is about half the distance. Once there the guy in the ticket office found that he couldn’t help me, so empty handed I had to walk back. Now I have to walk quite slowly so this was a lot of time out of my day, however whilst walking I had time to think, the sun was shining and I could see the sea, I passed masses of wild flowers that were growing in places where nothing was expected to grow. On my way back a friend caught up with me and we had a nice chat. The whole experience was delightful and not the waste of time I could easily have thought it to be.
Whatever happens to us has a reason, a lesson or learning, a pointer, a direction changer, a wake up call. If we can find even a tiny bit of gratitude in whatever happens it can change our energy, change the vibration we are putting out and give the universe (or whatever you want to call it) the chance to work its magic.
I am grateful that I have a lovely computer to write this on. I am grateful that someone created a beautiful web site for me to use. I am grateful that I have the wonderful Alexandra to translate this for me. I am grateful for every one of you who reads this. The gratitude doesn’t end. Now I am grateful that my partner is calling me because he has made me a cup of tea. So goodbye for now.
Much love and gratitude, Patricia x
Comments