When things get a little crazy I ask myself three important questions
1) When was my last nap?
2) What was my last baking project?
3) Where’s my cup of tea?
Getting Gratitude
I’ve been talking a lot about the gratitude trend lately, how we’re all supposed to be keeping gratitude journals and meditating on the every day, simple fortunes in our lives.
And I don’t know about you but a lot of that feels like song and dance to me. Like it’s a should instead of a natural reaction.
So in these talks, I’ve continued to resort to my philosophy on things like therapy, God, exercise, and now, gratitude: that I can be so focused on the expression or execution of these things I forget to experience them. Or no, maybe not forget to experience them, (since we are wired to experience these naturally, right?) but I certainly forget to acknowledge the experience. When I acknowledge that a long walk is filled with amazing, comforting, calming, exciting sights and sounds of my neighborhood, I feel these things and then I want to get up and walk all the time. Same goes for therapy: if clients can acknowledge feelings in the present by experiencing them in the present, nothing but change can happen. I love seeing this, a person experiencing his or her fear, anger, or sadness then realizing they experienced it and didn’t implode. And of course, since I’m human, I experience something in that too.
And so gratitude…
As with everything listed above, I think the trick is paying attention to the physical symptoms. Again, just like a client who is anxiously playing with her hair while saying everything is fine (despite the divorce, job loss, massive life transition in front of her), I have so much fun, well…maybe not always “fun”, but I learn more and more when I have a feeling and trace it to the cause rather than trying to force the latter on the former. Follow? No? Peut-être, un exemple!
The other day I’m walking around Mt. Vernon, passing the monument and heading towards Milk & Honey and something in my stomach turns, in a really, really good way. And soon my stomach and everything else feels at ease and I started breathing really smoothly. I don’t need to name it or blog (well, I mean, until a few days later at least) or status update about it, just be in it and with it. I don’t have to start sun salutations. I don’t have to run out and pass it on. It’s a really honest experience of gratitude. It doesn’t happen in shavasana or while reading some spiritual guide book. It’s nothing forced or planned or should-ed into reality. It just happens.
And experiences like this (I so, so hope!) have helped me to stop forcing my collection of shoulds on my nearest and dearest, my clients, my family, my dog, my co-workers. Because I would hate to rob anyone of the experiences that come from both the pools of awesome joy and steady sorrow.
Since my little Mt. Vernon gratitude stroll I’ve been way more open and acknowledging of these experiences and (not to gratitude journal, but…) here is where they’ve found me:
- Looking through the illustrations of a new book with a three year old
- In the time spent laughing and catching up while making dinner
- Celebrating a gorgeous, so-not-February day over a glass of (non-alcoholic) Sangria
- Playing a major game of catch up with a friend over dinner
- Through the completely unexpected graciousness from someone I’ve yet to actually meet
- In the moments where I’m given enough of something (patience? breath? perspective?) to not power struggle
- Learning that some of the nearest and dearest’s have finally found a new place to call home
- Being reminded that my parents are amazingly smart people, working to do lots and lots of good in the presbytery (and the world.)
- In the colds that don’t morph into super flu’s
And may these experiences multiply to infinity times infinity.
Amen, namaste, peace, and oh yes.
![thefluffingtonpost:
EXCLUSIVE: Senate-Seeking Cat Promises Job Creation if Elected
By now you’ve likely heard that a cat is running for a U.S. senate seat in the great state of Virginia. His name is Hank, and his goal is to shake up Washington.
“Hank saw that [Democratic senator] James Webb was not seeking re-election, and decided the time was perfect to offer Virginia something new,” Matthew O’Leary, the cat’s campaign manager, tells The Fluffington Post.
Like many politicians on the campaign trail, Hank’s primary concern is job creation. “Hank understands how important jobs are,” says O’Leary, citing the candidate’s plan to invest in government infrastructure and sustainable industries that he believes will lead to job growth.
Whether or not you agree with his policies, there’s no denying that Hank brings something new to the political arena, and his campaign is counting on the support of disillusioned voters. “Practically every single person who supports Hank no longer believes that their Congressman is representing the best interests of the people,” says O’Leary. “We must restore our faith in our leaders, and the only way we can do so is by electing those who cannot be corrupted.”
O’Leary cites Hank’s stray cat past as an important building block of his character. “No other candidate was living on the streets just after birth, and looking death itself in the eyes,” he says. “Hank has a strong resolve. He will not bow to corporate or Washington insider interests.”
Whether Hank has a shot as an independent candidate remains to be seen. To be on the ballot in November, he’ll need 10,000 signatures, though O’Leary points out that Strom Thurmond and Lisa Murkowski both won their races as write-in candidates.](http://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m04wifgTiV1qdedm3o1_1280.jpg)
