Candles on the Path

Years ago, when all hung heavily around me  I read about a simple tool and decided to try it for a while. It was to write down 10 things each day that i was thankful for.  At first it seemed next to impossible for what i saw were shortcomings and problems and i found it difficult not to criticize or add a but… At the beginning i would have to force myself and delve inside to find 10 good things. I would not know what to be thankful for and would go for the obvious, the food i ate, the bed i slept in, a sunny day, a public restroom when i desperately needed one. And i often did it without feeling, like the thanks we give to customers when we are working a cash register or when someone opens a door in front of us. At times, when i drew a blank and wrote down those things that i have been told to be thankful for i felt i was telling a lie and wondered it i were really an ungrateful soul. But i persevered and continued to write the words on paper and slowly i began to feel thankful and blessed.  

At first i would feel grateful for some of the grand experiences or things – a spectacular sunset, a majestic mountain, a gift from a friend, an unexpected chance or an answer to my prayers. And then i began to feel thankful when something appeared after an absence or a loss – a warm bed and dry socks after camping in the rain, good health after getting over a cold or a flu, trees flowering in the spring, income and a job after being unemployed and broke, a call from someone after spending too much time alone, time alone after being surrounded by people. For each of these and many more things i was grateful and recognized it – a first – but then i often became blase, took them granted and even began to grumble about the very thing i had been thankful for. And then i would forget to write down 10 things each day. But the lesson came back to me, and i would remember to give thanks each day once again. I finally learned how and it changed my vision of the world.

On those days where the light shines upon us and all those around and we float lightly upon the earth, it seems a simple task for we know there is much to be thankful for – our loved ones, be they near or far, people or pets, a kind word, a blue sky or clouds above, a good book or movie, a conversation overheard, the beauty of a street we walk down or of another’s face, a flower or a leaf on a tree, a parking spot, peace, joy - the list can be endless.  

But on those days where we “just know” that the entire world is conspiring against us, it can be tough – and it is on those very days when all we want to do is grumble that it is the most important to remember to do so – to add thanks to our grumblings. Sometimes we are forced to come up with something - anything. A simple smile from a stranger, that loved one who is presently driving us nuts, a bed to sleep in, food to eat even if it is just rice, potatoes or peanut butter sandwiched and we want for more, for that meal over at the next table. If it is pouring down rain upon us or we are shivering cold, remember the days when the sun shone endlessly and we prayed for rain or a break to the heat. If we were stuck in traffic, we can be thankful for the road, the car or transit, that we have somewhere to go.  Be thankful for that flower, even if it is but a dandelion, for the bird, even if it is a crow, seagull or pigeon, or the insects that buzz around for that is life. The sun, the moon, the stars  above, though they may be obscured, we know they are there. If nothing else seems to work, we can be thankful that we can write 10 things down, the we have a pen, pencil or keyboard,  the ability to read and write, eyes to see, fingers to use and that we are alive.

ur By thanking each day we remember to be grateful, not only on the good days, or when we get something or someone after an absence or a loss but all the time. It can show us what we truly value, and shine light on what we often overlook.  It make us feel more alive. And slowly, we may remember to pause and truly give thanks throughout the day.

For that simple tool i am thankful, for it helped teach me to be grateful and to open my eyes to the beauty of the world. Yes, there are days where i still grumble and complain, but i remember that light is there, and hopefully, i shine it through, even just a bit.

Thank You! 

And in doing so i reframed my vision and my focus.