I wake up this morning with a sore throat and the beginnings of a cold. I drag my butt out of bed and head for the gym to accomplish my plan of attacking a duo of workout classes (before I transform into a gluttonous carnivore tomorrow). I am running late, as usual. Farmers market blocks the street, so I have to take the long way. Extra late. Class is good but I feel weak. I skip the second class and call myself a slacker. I try the steam room but I am too antsy. I just want to leave. I hop in the shower and cut myself shaving! Flashbacks to middle school. This is not on my To-Do list. I make it home without needing a blood transfusion. I “cook” the world’s plainest oatmeal. I decide to be productive and run errands. My car is blocked in by a white, molester van. No one even asks me if I want any candy.
I don’t like any of the songs on the radio. I randomly think about how sad it must be to be Christina Aguilera after this article. Parking my car I look up at my dashboard. This is what I see:
In yoga last week, we were encouraged to fill our spirits and thoughts with gratitude and then asked to write down what we are thankful for. I put mine on my dashboard (please excuse how ghetto it looks).
Instantly, I realize how un-Thanksgiving my attitude has been ever since I woke up today. Can I blame it on the fact that in my dreams last night my younger brother got married before me? (Which, in reality, is very likely). Can I blame it on the weather? My sore throat? Traffic? Or the goose?
Being grateful and giving thanks is not a natural reaction to the nuances of daily life- at least not for me! It is a mindset that must be continually practiced. When done right, amazingly, you start to notice how many little good things in everyday life actually outweigh the little bad things. Such as the California sunshine on November 23, the random texts that made me smile, my cat behaving himself, the luxury of watching a movie and crying, experimenting with a stuffing recipe, and the list goes on.
Hooray for Thanksgiving and living with gratitude… as often as we can remember.
x,
Cleo