Whew! The last 6 or 7 weeks have been more than a doozy and some little gremlins keep adding things with deadlines to my TO DO list.
At one point, I was so physically tired that I went below zero. I was definitely in the red.
As you know, I do not like getting to the bottom of the barrel trying to scrape up some energy.
But it seemed extra family and work responsibilities were multiplying. They were like dung beetles that roll up into little balls. Before you know that one beetle becomes many beetles crawling everywhere.
In those bottom of the barrel moments when the beetles are crawling all over the place, I call on every strategy that I know. You can be sure that what I share with you are the things that I know work.
I had to maneuver my way back above zero so…
I meditated. I practice Qigong a lot, a whole lot. I ate foods that nourished the five major energy systems in my body. I prayed.
I reminded myself of my truth several times a day. I said affirmations. I had faith. I set goals. I made plans for getting things done. I put things in order. I gave myself permission to do a little at a time. I remembered what’s important to me. I rested. I took walks. I said no to things that could wait or never happen. I spent time with old friends who’ve loved me for a long time. I was kind and gentle with myself.
But one of the first things I did was to step up my gratitude practice. I felt like I had nothing left, so I decided that it was time to get deeper into the riches in my life.
I know your grandmama or great auntie or Mama or Big Mama or Ms. Fannie or some elder woman has told you some version of “count your blessings”. Nowadays, that’s called a gratitude practice. There’s even scientific evidence that proves the elder women are right.
My Mama Louise had a funny way of reminding us to be thankful and to thank others. She’d say, “you can tell a dog thank you” or “they didn’t even say thank you dog”.
You get it.
Thank you is one of the easiest things you can say. Being thankful is one of the easiest things you can do. When you’re at the bottom of the barrel, you need easy things to do.
My tank was on empty so I had a lot of room to fill up with good stuff. I felt like I was in a state of constant doing and giving. And you know that I know we don’t give without receiving. But I couldn’t see reciprocity working for me. I was over-tired.
I set my mind on finding the good, all the things that I have to be thankful for, all the little treasures that were hiding behind my never ending list of deadlines.
In addition to meditating on what I’m thankful for or writing it down, I started sharing my list publicly. I redesigned my #GratitudeEveryday program.
Everyday I make a quote about something I’m thankful for and I post them on social media. I ask people to share what they’re thankful for with me.
I feel good when I share my list. But when somebody likes a post or responds with something from their gratitude list, I smile. I go deeper into what makes that particular thing so wonderful.
And ooooohhhh! How powerful it has been!
Gratitude worked. Reciprocity gave me an energy boost. I’m so much more aware of how all the things that I’m grateful for make me feel alive, present, joyful, capable, recharged, secure, supported, loved, confident, safe, prosperous, free and magical.
Yeah, you get the feeling.
I know that I’ve said it before. I’ve told you that gratitude will improve you mental and physical health. And I know your grandmama told you to count your blessings but here’s what I invite you to do today.
Get into the feeling of #GratitudeEveryday. How does being thankful leave you feeling? How does that thing you’re thankful for light the fire in your heart?
Use your gratitude to spark your joy. Check out this quote and get fired up about your life everyday.
Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life. It turns what we have into enough, and more. It turns denial into acceptance, chaos to order, confusion to clarity. It can turn a meal into a feast, a house into a home, a stranger into a friend. Gratitude makes sense of our past, brings peace for today, and creates a vision for tomorrow.
Melody Beattie
Join me on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook & Pinterest. Share your #GratitudeEveryday
© Sandra Y. Lewis