Vitamin "G" is such an important nutrient for our body-mind and spirit. Gratitude can turn a sour day into a good one, and the ordinary into the extraordinary!
Sometimes when I'm responding to life's curve-balls, feeling 'behind' or somehow less-than-glowing, the last thing I want to do is turn up my gratitude-meter. Perhaps I want a moment of self-righteousness (justifying anger), a moment to feel sorry for myself (playing the victim), or to throw a few crumbs to that little ego who is the nay-sayer, the little mumble-grumble who says I'll never be quite enough (fill in the blank here). Those moments are EXACTLY when I need to turn that meter up, and dose up on "Vitamin G"!
Changing one's state to an attitude of gratitude can make a profound difference in how we feel, think, react (or respond) to stressors, and even the way our bodies function and heal. The more we exercise the gratitude neural pathways, the more easily they will run on their own. Similarly, the more we "do" anger, resentment, judgment, sadness, distrust, etc., the more readily those pathways will attempt to run their stories - regardless of the circumstance or situation.
About ten years ago I experienced a very deep heartbreak. There were times during the following three years when things seemed very dark & bleak, and I started wondering if I would always be 'alone.' Sometimes I even got angry with God, feeling abandoned and betrayed by him. Some might call that period a "Dark Night of the Soul." However, that 'heartbreak' which spurred on that darker chapter was really the catalyst for a personal and spiritual 'breaking-open.'
I started running regularly. Not just 'running,' I should say, but rather, I did "gratitude runs." Though there were times and moments that felt emotionally or mentally excruciating, that exercise helped transform my entire relationship within myself, how I would tend to see things, and ultimately changed my world-view.
I had to start simply. "I'm grateful I have legs to walk. I'm grateful they can run. I'm grateful for the sunshine. I'm grateful for the blades of grass, the trees, the squirrel, the grains of sand, the birds..." Later, this led to "...grateful for the opportunity to help people, for the opportunity to help another soul remember their purpose(s), for the ability to help a child, a mother, to be lucky enough to love my work..." Then, "...grateful for the trials and tribulations I've endured and risen from so that I can compassionately and with understanding sew seeds of hope in others..."
It's amazing how our deepest pain can be the source of our deepest joys. Often, in the midst of the pain, we cannot see or even imagine how joy could burst forth from that place...but even a beautiful daffodil spends most of the year in dark, cold earth, awaiting the right moment to emerge in February, announcing that spring is around the corner - come rain or shine!!!
