...gratitude today. I was reading through recent posts and somewhere someone said something about making a gratitude list that had nothing to do with yourself.
Well, I tried, but I could not.
It did not take more than a few entries to realize that even if I was expressing and feeling genuine gratitude that total strangers escaped the tornado or that the parolee got that pesky electronic monitoring ankle bracelet off the same day she picked up her 6 month chip, it was still MY gratitude, and thus still all about me.
But you know what? Having the capacity to be thankful for things that bless others is just fine with me! I fear were I to lose that capacity I would soon be back on the slippery slope to the toxic self-absortion of the drunk and doomed.
Thanks for your post, Lee. For me gratitude gets rid of self pity, resentment & fear. I find when I am not praying I am ungrateful. You reminded me of what my sponsor used to say to me: the hallmark of every good recovery is gratitude. I never forgot that even in my worst of times.
Gratitude is an action word and it evokes -for me- a sense of appreciation and humility, especially when I'm under extreme duress. I compare the two quite often and embrace the "being grateful" concept as compared to "feeling grateful" one. I have said numerous times and I'm quoting here: "You don't have to feel grateful to be grateful". How true...thanks leeu for reminding me of that.
someone once told me they sometimes feel awkward when they talk about their son and daughter when I'm around. They asked me does it upset you? I thought for a while and realised that sometimes it does when I'm feeling sorry for myself and sometimes it don't when I can see the joy their family brings them and realise that they too were estranged from their family for years. Then I'm grateful that they have what I don't. A family life. Then I have hope that one day I might have the same because they demonstrate that everything can change.
and I find that with an attitude of gratitude, I can change my thinking and change the negatives into positives, or at least see the positive side.
I don't have everything I desire........so I have more to work for
I don't know lot's of things.........so there is more to learn
I have difficult times......I grow ffrom them
I have limitations.............which are oppertunities for improvement
I have new challenges........all oppertunities to build strength and character
I make mistakes.........I learn valuable lessons
I get tired and weary.........maybe because I've made a difference.
and finally, you know I love my lyrics and my poetry, so as jihnny Cash once said (Wanted Man), I've had all that I wanted of a lot of things I'd had and a lot more than I needed of some things that turned out bad...........my take though, see above, even the ones that turned out bad I'm grateful for (see above)
-- Edited by bikerbill on Tuesday 24th of May 2011 02:31:35 AM
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It's not having what you want, it's wanting what you got. BB
