Gratitude
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One of the things that we do in Alcoholics Anonymous is meditate on what we are grateful for in our lives and write those things down. Thinking about what you’re grateful for and making a list might sound like a stupid waste of time. But it chases the blues away and gets you off the pity pot. It melts away anxiety.
I looked up the word “grateful” and it means “being appreciative, thankful… feeling or expressing gratitude.” Here’s where the list comes in. It focuses you on the particular. Makes you see or realize what and who what you “appreciate.” Then, it requires you to “express” it or communicate it to yourself.
“Why?” You might ask. “I already know what I appreciate. I don’t need to tell myself that.” Well, maybe that’s the case for you. Most of the time, life runs on such a fast track that everything becomes a blur. First, how can I be grateful for what or who surrounds me if I don’t even see it? If I don’t stop multi-tasking and take the time to look, hear, feel, see, smell? Second, sometimes I forget the things in my life that I am grateful for. Why? Because I’m too busy inviting negative energy because I’m bitching and complaining about something that I wish hadn’t changed, or because I’m feeling resentful that I’m not on the other side of the fence which looks greener than my side. And, third, sometimes, I might not even recognize things I’m grateful for because I take them for granted. All that being said, here’s today’s list. It’s not all-inclusive, I’m sure. But I can always make another tomorrow.
Today’s Gratitude List
I’m grateful that I am still writing… and for still having work that I like to do.
I’m grateful for money enough to shelter, feed me, and put clothes on my back.
I’m grateful for unpolluted water to drink, for food to eat.
I’m grateful to be able to get out of bed, stand up, walk, and move without pain.
I’m grateful to be able to breathe fresh air.
I’m grateful to be able to touch and experience the one I love.
I’m grateful for the love of my spirit-guide dogs.
I’m grateful for the company and compassion of friends.
I’m grateful for my 5 senses working well enough to let me fully experience the earth, people, life.
I’m grateful to be able experience beauty in all forms: see clouds in the sky, hear my favorite songs, smell the fragrance of things of the earth, feel ALL of my feelings.
I’m grateful for sobriety today…
and for ALL of the yesterdays of my journey.
