7 Days of Gratitude: Day 5

DrLife: Spiritual practice of the week: For the next 7 days, wake up and write 5 things that you are grateful for BEFORE YOU DO ANYTHING ELSE!

The birds woke me up this morning…….and I’m on day 5………..


1. I’m grateful for Monday mornings. I suppose that’s easy to say right now because it’s we’re in the middle of the summer. But I use to dread Mondays and now I look at is as another opportunity to start the week off inspired and ready to change some things.

2. I’m grateful for do overs. It’s not often that we get the first opportunity to do something the way we want. But to get a second chance to get it right, that is a great feeling. There are some things in life that you get only one turn with. But I’m blessed to be able to have another turn with those things in life that affect me and my future the most.

3. I’m grateful for tears. There are times when I have cried, not knowing where it’s coming from exactly. But afterwards, I feel so much better. Tears may symbolize sadness or happiness, but ultimately they purge and free me from thoughts that may hold me back in my ability to love and even comfort someone else. Aristotle theorized that crying “cleanses the mind”. Just like laughter, crying can ease stress. By allowing those few tears to roll every now and then, I free myself of pain and anger that could potentially lead to illnesses such as depression. I would rather just have a case of the ‘blues’.

4. I’m grateful for joy. The main difference between ‘happiness’ and ‘joy’ is that one is temporary, while the other has long lasting effects. When I think about it one travels from the outside in while the other from the inside out. Something or someone can make me happy, but joy comes from within. ‘This joy that I have the world didn’t give to me…..and the world can’t take it away”. That verse is a reminder that joy is mine unless I give it away.

5. I’m grateful for the birds outside my window. They really use to get on my last nerve, but when my uncle died two years ago, the birds gave me a message. My Uncle Danny was like another father and to get the call that he had passed and I hadn't told him how much he meant to me was devastating. I remember crying inconsolably before dawn. Then hearing my uncle’s voice in a joking manner calling me by the nickname he always used for me and telling me to stop all that ‘damn crying and snot slinging…..I’m alright’. The next sound was this one bird singing loudly outside my window before the sun had even risen. It was very possible that it did that everyday, but that day I heard it clearly. And I started smiling, still crying but grinning from ear to ear. Because I knew on that particular morning that bird was singing specifically for me. So I no longer get mad when they wake me up. I thank them for showing up.

So of course I’m crying now, but it’s ok because this stroll does my soul good…….so what are you grateful for? Until next time…..journey light.

Luv, peace, and an abundance of blessings,

E