Gratitude
By Linda Dessau, the Self-Care Coach
Both abundance and lack exist simultaneously
in our lives, as parallel realities. It is always our conscious choice
which secret garden
we will
tend... when
we choose not to focus on what is missing from our lives but are grateful
for the abundance that's present — love, health, family, friends, work, the
joys of nature and personal pursuits that bring us pleasure — the wasteland
of illusion falls away and we experience Heaven on earth. — Sarah
Ban Breathnach
As I write this month's article I'm filled with gratitude. Five years ago
I was in a job I hated. Today, writing newsletter articles and sharing my experiences
of self-care with you is part of my job — what a joy!
And though some days I can still get caught up in what I DON'T have yet, what
I HAVEN'T done yet and what I'll probably NEVER have or NEVER do, all it takes
is a few moments reflection about what I have to be grateful for and my thoughts
are completely turned around.
Two experiences over the past month have helped me to get into the right frame
of mind.
During eight weeks of the winter I'm blessed with a volunteer opportunity
at a program that provides dinner and shelter to those in need. While I started
out three years ago as a dinner helper, I soon realized that my music could
be a real gift to our guests and volunteers — infusing the atmosphere and creating
opportunities for camaraderie, nostalgia, relaxation and joy. Not to mention
lots and lots of singing.
Now my "job", for eight Wednesday nights every winter, is to set-up
my guitar and songbook (complete with a list of songs that guests can thumb
through to make requests) and fill the room with music. I absolutely love it.
I've noticed that many of our guests are often cheerful, friendly and helpful,
and deeply appreciative of what they receive. With all they're struggling with
in their daily lives — struggles I can only imagine — they manage to celebrate
the moment, show kindness to others and express their gratitude.
The other mind-altering event was of course the devastating earthquake and
resulting tsunami of December 26, 2004, that destroyed so many lives and has
impacted the entire world.
The gifts of gratitude I receive from my awareness of both of these realities
so different from my own are many. Whenever I'm outdoors in the Canadian winter
weather and I notice myself thinking that's it's too cold or too wet I immediately
express my gratitude that for me the experience is only brief and temporary.
In light of all I've seen and heard about in the last few weeks, what do I
have to complain about?
Tonight, when you're getting ready to sleep, why not stop for a moment and
make a list of everything YOU have to be grateful for. I'll get you started
with the basics:
I'm grateful to have a roof over my head.
I'm grateful to have money in my wallet.
I'm grateful to have food in my fridge.
What would life be like without even one of those things? What else can you
think of to be grateful for? •
© Copyright 2005, Genuine Coaching Services. 03/23/05
 About the Author | More by Linda Dessau
Linda Dessau, the Self-Care Coach, helps artists enhance their creativity by addressing their unique self-care issues. Feel like your creativity is blocked? Sign-up for the free e-course, "Roadblocks to Creativity" by visiting www.genuinecoaching.com.
|
