Gratitude is a Choice
by Leslie Sann
If you concentrate on finding whatever is good in every situation, you will discover that your life will suddenly be filled with gratitude, a feeling that nurtures the soul.
~ Rabbi Harold Kushner
One night I had a vivid dream about a friend. The next morning I was moved to check in with him. Attempting to be respectful of his time and attention, as he is in the midst of a move, I sent him a playful text. It said that I had had a dream about him that moved me to reach out. I invited him to text back to me one word describing how he was in that moment.
I told him I’d go first. My word is ____ .
It took me a few minutes to realize I could say anxious as there was energy swirling around in my belly. I have in the past called that anxiety. It made sense to me that there would be disturbance due to a situation with my mother that concerns her care.
I realized that though the whirling energy was now present, by the time he read my text, that sensation will have dissipated. Emotions come and go. See the word: E-Motion. Emotion is just energy moving.
I chose not to define myself as anxious and so I went to do a task. While moving around (energy in motion) I was looking within to discover what else was present. I consciously took a breath. In a moment I perceived gratitude. And so I finished my text.
My word is grateful.
I was willing to claim gratitude. I know that for me, if I look, I can almost always if not always find thankfulness. As I wrote those words I became aware that the sensation I had labeled anxiety had disappeared. My mood had shifted. I was now experiencing joy. How does it get any better than that?
For me, gratitude is the great transformer.
I wonder if this is true for you?
Yours from Planet Joy,
