Originally posted on Facebook HERE
Well, kids – it’s a rare “Saturday” edition of the weekly “Looking out my back window” posts. Tomorrow I’ll be on a plane heading to Puerto Vallarta. I’m totally not ready at all for this trip. Have to work today because I wasn’t able to close up everything I needed to yesterday before I had to leave. Haven’t even thought about packing. The grandkids will be here by the time I get home from work and they’ll be more than willing to “help” me finish getting ready I’m sure. But right now, my head is spinning with all the things I need to get to before we leave, and of course we have to get up around 3am Sunday to catch our flight. It’s all that kinda “pre-trip” tension. And behind it all, as I woke up this morning, the only thought in my head was “thank you”. So often in life we get caught up in wanting more, or wishing things were different, that we can forget to take the time just to appreciate the things we already have. There is a reason we’re all familiar with the saying “count your blessings”, because what are you telling the universe if you don’t appreciate what you already have? You’re basically saying “yeah, I have a few things in my life, but I really think what you’ve given me so far isn’t that great. Give me something better.” How would you feel if you went out of the way to give someone a gift, were really excited about it, and when you gave it to them they said “I’m not sure it’s the right size, I’m not crazy about the color, I really prefer the more expensive version” or something else that demeaned the purchase? Not so great, right? Would you want to give them more? No!… Compare that with giving someone a gift and having them sincerely say “Thank you. I love it! You’re so awesome!”… We have to learn to be content with what we have and truly thankful for whatever blessings are already in our lives if we want to rid ourselves of the tension and anxiety that come from always wanting more. What if we were just satisfied in the moment with everything as it is? Anyone reading this probably has access to a computer, most likely lives in the United States, and has a lot to be thankful for. Start each day with gratitude in your heart, and it can effect your life in only a positive fashion.
