Where would Gratitude serve you?

Peace through Gratitude

I have searched for peace for decades. Peace is the foundation for all the best things I accomplish. Just the other day, we had all of our kids over for a meal. Our millennials now think that they need to bring  their dogs with them everywhere they go. My daughter’s dog bit me. I did not react well. I was really upset, mad, actually and it hurt. It didn’t just hurt physically, it hurt because she didn’t listen to me in the first place, she didn’t apologize for the dog biting me and I felt really disregarded. That energy was not good for anyone. I was hijacked for about 2 days. And I clung to the hurt. In the process, my mind started to tell me all the things that were wrong: my kids didn’t love me, my kids didn’t respect me; my kids didn’t regard me, and now that I was mad, they weren’t going to come around anymore, and I was going to die old and alone. You get the point. It is very easy to go down that road.

It’s just as easy to go down the other road. After about 2 days of wallowing, I decided to shift my thinking. I started with gratitude. I was still mad, and felt justified in my anger and hurt, but it really wasn’t serving me in any positive way. So, I stopped and intentionally started to think about the things I could be grateful for: my daughter is very responsible, my daughter is a hard worker, and she is caring. My daughter lives by the values that I taught her. My daughter and I have a solid relationship that we can deal with these kinds of upsets and talk through them eventually and be OK on the other side. And when I wanted to think the “yes, but” thoughts to negate any of that positive stuff, I would say, “thanks for sharing, but I am grateful for…”. It helped shift my mindset. That intentional gratitude brought me fresh peace.

What is that issue you need to find something to be grateful about? Who is that person that you need to find something to show gratitude for? Start with the easy ones. Start with the small positive things and exercise that muscle, then move to the thing or person that you feel you could never be grateful for. Find one thing. Then look for another. Pretty soon, if you let yourself, you’ll find peace.

My Wednesday Wish this Thanksgiving is that you can find the things you are grateful for with ease, and it will bring you peace.

Do you need some support to reach your goals this year?