Incremental Improvement

Today I am grateful for my glasses; the old pairs that I can run in but have to take off to read and my newest pair of progressive lenses. I am also grateful for my sight. It needs some assistance, but still works very well.

As my bruised ribs and torn muscles slowly heal and feel better, I am thinking about incremental improvement. Most things that need improving don't happen overnight. But if I can notice and appreciate the improvment by increments, I am given hope. I am given enough to keep me plugging along.

Recovery from alcoholism is about incremental improvement for me. It's about changing my stinking thinking to more sane and positive thinking. I couldn't have imagined 24 years ago that I could feel like I do today-about myself and my life. Patience. Acceptance. Daily work. The improvement continues, sometimes slowly, sometimes in flashes of insight.

Recovery from bilateral mastectomies offered more incremental improvement. I was motivated to keep doing my physical therapy exercises because I noticed the improvement from day to day and week to week. I felt less pain. I could reach further, higher. The healing didn't happen rapidly. It couldn't.

If I am having a tough day, noticing a few good things can bring incremental improvement to my attitude, to my perception.

I am saddened and concerned about all the messages we get in our culture about quick fixes and instant results. They are traps. I will talk more about that tomorrow.

For today, I will work on improving my attention to the gifts that surround me.

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