The Power of Gratitude
By Sheila Thornton Warfield
Do you ever have moments when you question everything about your life? Did I make the right choices? Am I where I’m supposed to be? Should I have been more ambitious? Did I choose the right career? Am I living in the right town? Did I take the right job? Have I realized my full potential? On and on and on.
So many questions, and given the pandemic many of us have had lots of time to ask such questions and ponder way too long about what could be or should have been. In fact, mustering up the patience and energy to simply engage in each day has been challenging for most of us. Surely, finding moments to be grateful is important yet it has become more and more difficult as the pandemic continues and 2020 nears its end, and most of us would exclaim ‘2020, GOOD RIDDANCE!”.
I have experienced such moments recently, and as I asked myself a few of the questions above, I felt myself spiraling to a place that was very dangerous. The place where doubt consumes, fear envelops, and darkness threatens to eclipse all that’s good and positive in one’s life. Luckily, as I began my descent, I experienced a brief moment when I thought of one thing in my life that I was grateful for, then two, then three, and then four, etc. Before I knew it, I was once again immersed in pure light that seemed to cause regeneration and I was once again filled with hope. The many things I began to be thankful for — a loving life partner, a healthy family, feline companions, a sunny day, my 99-year-old grandfather — released a feeling of gratitude that washed over me like waves and it was loving, gentle and beautiful. I was transformed in an instant and became even grateful for my ability to shift and to step back into the light.
What I thought started off as a violent gust of wind that would certainly blow me away turned out to be a sweet summer breeze that allowed me to taste the sweetness of and in my life. From that moment on I focused on the now and did constructive activities that would bring harmony and ease to my life.
Reframing helped me get through the possible darkness and taught me an important lesson — gratitude can cause a significant and immediate shift toward positivity and peace. The trick is that you shouldn’t try to imagine how and when the change will happen or the resulting emotion. Just let go and let it happen. Embrace the grace that will find its way to you. I promise you one thing, what comes will give you just what you need in the moment you need it the most. And that’s a gift we should always be willing to give ourselves and to do so quietly, silently, and fully.
The resulting outlook allows us to see the blessing, beauty, and wonder in who we are and the lives we live — now.