Surprising Things to Be Grateful For: Part 2

Continued from this post…

6. Freedom to say, “Yes.” There are a lot of articles out there that tell you how to forgo your people-pleasing ways by saying, “No.” And I of all people know the importance of doing so. But sometimes instead of automatically saying it, what if we linger a bit? Just like my yoga teacher says in corpse pose. “Lay on your side and stay there for a few minutes before you get up.” Take your time to experience what the question is asking. Take your time to sit with the unknown. Too often we say, “No” to new experiences because of fear, because we’re afraid to open ourselves up to failing, to be uncomfortable or to being vulnerable. Giving yourself time to let the words settle in your mind and body can give you an entirely new perspective and maybe even encourage a new answer, one you weren’t expecting.

7. Mistakes. I have a love-hate relationship with mistakes. My ego hates when they are pointed out. But my soul knows that without them I won’t grow. Mistakes are like tiny little cracks in the earth. They allow the space where new life and thought sprout from. Because of that I’m grateful for them. And while I’m hardly apt to welcome them in my life, I perceive them as signs-signs to show me where I need a little more love, acceptance and self-growth.

8. Imperfections. I am short. My arms are not perfectly straight. My skin’s pale, my hair’s mousy and my voice is quiet and high. But I am grateful for all the things that I wanted to wish away when I was a teen. It’d be hard to label every single imperfection of mind as imperfect because I see how they perfectly make me “me.” If you find something about you that you particularly dislike, maybe you just haven’t found the meaning and beauty behind them yet. I have two crooked pinkies, for example. They make me imperfect, yes. But my great-grandma had them and so does my grandma and my dad. Maybe imperfection isn’t the right word. Maybe it’s being unique.

9. Fear. Fear is almost as bad of a word as the other four-letter F word. No one likes them. In fact, a few try to make them go away. I think all emotions are pure and purposeful if we accept them. They serve a purpose to alert us to danger, to tell us when we’ve gone too far and when we’re on the right track. The thing we need to learn is how to distinguish between real fear and the one that’s been built up from years of criticism, negativity and a lack of self-confidence.

10. Unsought dreams. For they are still in the cue waiting to be discovered, caught and found. What is the point if we have no dreams to pursue? When one dream is gloriously obtained, there waits another. I am above all grateful for this.

11. Unknown. Yes we don’t know what tomorrow brings. Yes we don’t know if that decision we made yesterday was a good one. But the courage it takes to choose when we don’t know is enough of a reason for me to be grateful for this mystery we call life.

What are you grateful for?