Ingratitude
Today I am grateful for the recovery wisdom I have been taught by others that I can draw from regularly. I am also grateful for the ease of electricity and simply flipping switches to light up the early morning hours.
I used the word ingratitude the other day, and it came to my mind again last evening as I pondered today's post. It came to my mind because I was feeling it. It's been that kind of a week . . . nothing in particular, but I have slipped too quickly into old thought patterns of the "poor Lisa" variety. The ingratitude tends to hit when I am tired. I know this about myself and cut myself some slack.
Ingratitude. Lacking appreciation. Ungrateful. Yep. That's how I felt. It didn't last though. The downward spiral never got going. The pity party had no guests. It was temporary and short-lived.
Temporary and short-lived because years of gratitude practice have changed my default mode from self-pity to appreciating the life I get each day, from focusing on what I don't have but wish I did, to seeing the gifts I have already been blessed with.
To borrow from my blog profile:
A recovering alcoholic since 1989 and a breast cancer survivor since 2008, I work daily at my recovery from both of these life challenges. But I also work daily at living life to the fullest. Gratitude is a significant part of that work. It is the best work I do, because the dividends are consistently positive. I am prone to self-pity and fear, so faith and gratitude are good antidotes. I firmly believe in the active practice of gratitude. It has worked for me for over 18 years.
Sometimes I am the one who needs the reminder. Each day is a gift. Treat it as one.
I used the word ingratitude the other day, and it came to my mind again last evening as I pondered today's post. It came to my mind because I was feeling it. It's been that kind of a week . . . nothing in particular, but I have slipped too quickly into old thought patterns of the "poor Lisa" variety. The ingratitude tends to hit when I am tired. I know this about myself and cut myself some slack.
Ingratitude. Lacking appreciation. Ungrateful. Yep. That's how I felt. It didn't last though. The downward spiral never got going. The pity party had no guests. It was temporary and short-lived.
Temporary and short-lived because years of gratitude practice have changed my default mode from self-pity to appreciating the life I get each day, from focusing on what I don't have but wish I did, to seeing the gifts I have already been blessed with.
To borrow from my blog profile:
A recovering alcoholic since 1989 and a breast cancer survivor since 2008, I work daily at my recovery from both of these life challenges. But I also work daily at living life to the fullest. Gratitude is a significant part of that work. It is the best work I do, because the dividends are consistently positive. I am prone to self-pity and fear, so faith and gratitude are good antidotes. I firmly believe in the active practice of gratitude. It has worked for me for over 18 years.
Sometimes I am the one who needs the reminder. Each day is a gift. Treat it as one.
As a fellow gratitude pilgrim, I know what you mean Lisa. I've been told that there is a reason we do the work we do... we need it more than anyone else. When I feel the ingratitude or pity party coming on, I find talking about it with others is like an instant antidote... an elixir of sorts.
ReplyDeleteIt is always nice to hear from you Steve, and I appreciate "fellow gratitude pilgrims" who inspire me. I love the word antidote to describe gratitude practice. That is absolutely what it is for me. It works because it gets me out of myself. Let's keep working! Thanks!
Delete