Trying To Be In Gratitude

I have mentioned the importance of being in gratitude in my blog before, as I believe that when we are in gratitude we attract more into our lives to feel grateful for.  It is a concept that I thought I understood pretty well, but my eyes were recently opened to what I WASN’T getting . . . and that is, we need to be in gratitude all the time – even when things are really bad.

I heard a story about a man who was sawing some trees down with an electric chain saw.  The saw went through the tree trunk and then half way through his leg, and the first words out of his mouth were, “I am SO glad my leg is still there.”  Consequently, even though he should have bled to death within minutes, the blood flow slowed long enough for him to get the medical attention he needed.  I was in awe, as I am pretty sure if I ran a saw through my leg, the first words out of my mouth would be rated MA for Mature Audience and that gratitude would be the last thing I would be able to access at that moment. 

While I find it pretty easy be in gratitude for the positive things that occur in my life, I have yet to master the art of being grateful for the things that aren’t so positive and I wondered if I would ever be able to reach the point where I could be in gratitude when I was in the midst of something really unpleasant.

I was thinking about this the other week when I was working in the yard.  Several large limbs needed to be cut from some trees in my yard and not wanting to take any chances, I used a hand saw instead of borrowing my dad’s power saw.  No sense testing my ability to be grateful if an accident happened. J 

While I was out there, I got a call from the service center where I had brought my car that morning.  I was told that my car would need a new drive shaft.  For as much as I tried in that moment, I couldn’t find anything to be grateful for.  I jokingly thought to myself, “Wow, I am SO glad that isn’t going to cost four-thousand dollars.”   But I knew it wasn't a genuine feeling of gratitude.  I felt like I was getting a “D” in spirituality. 

Throughout the day, I continued to try to find something I could genuinely be grateful for.  I came up with a few small things, such as I was glad that I could sense something was very wrong with my car and get it in to the service center before it broke down on the side of the road.  I was also glad that I trusted all the people at the service center, knowing they would be honest about the work that needed to be done on my car.

When I went to pick up my car the next day, I found out that the service manager had given me a pretty significant discount on the parts required for the repair.  I hadn’t asked him to do that, in fact I hadn’t spoken with him at all.  It definitely felt like a gift from above.

It gave me the inspiration I needed to continue striving to find gratitude in every challenge I encounter—no matter how big or small.  Are you inspired to give it a try?  My sense is that we have nothing to lose by trying.

The Craggy Hole In My Heart and The Cat Who Fixed It

Last fall, a good friend of mine gave me a book, by Geneen Roth, called The Craggy Hole in My Heart and The Cat Who Fixed it.  Since then, it has been sitting in my reading pile on the side of my bed.  Since I can't ever seem to find the time to sit down and read a book, the stack which starts on the floor is now taller than my bedside table.

This week, I decided to treat myself to some book reading and on one of the wonderful sunny days we had, I grabbed Geneen's book and headed over the hill.  After a nice long walk on the beach, I sat down with the book and was instantly enamored with it.  So much so, that I was already 3/4 of the way through the book before I drove back home from Santa Cruz later that day . . . and by the next afternoon I had finished the book.  I just couldn't put it down.

Geneen has a wonderful sense of humor, so even though many of the topics she writes about are deep and heartfelt, you can't help but find yourself laughing as you are reading it.  She takes you on a journey as she falls deeply in love with her cat, finds love in human form, learns about her own fears and limitations and through her father's death, learns about the misconceptions she had about both of her parents and the ways those misconceptions had shaped her as well as her fears.  As an added bonus, if you ever thought you were a little crazy when it comes to your animals and the things you'll do for them, this book will help you feel more normal than ever.  :-)

If you are looking for a good book to read this spring, I highly recommend The Craggy Hole in My Heart and The Cat Who Fixed it.

And on a totally unrelated note, several months ago, one of my best friends sent me this picture.  She sent it primarily because the dogs were German shepherds and she knew that would make me smile, and secondarily because she thought it was funny.

Every time I looked at it, it made me laugh out loud.  I decided to save it on my desk top so that I would see it every time I opened my laptop.  Amazingly, after all this time, it still makes me laugh.  I don't know why exactly, I'm just happy that it does.

I figure it's always good to have a reason to smile or laugh, so my hope is that this picture will make you giggle too.