Keep Cultivating

Today I am grateful for a solo run this morning and the time to myself. I am also grateful for citronella candles which allow us to continue to enjoy our patio at the height of summer bug season.

My sister reminded me yesterday of the importance of continuing to cultivate gratitude, even when things are a challenge, especially when things are a challenge.  Her exact words were ". . . life is a hard ride sometimes, but always gratitude is important to cultivate."

Thanks Danita for the words of wisdom! She is living a hard ride right now as her husband continues to suffer from the progression of Lewy Body Dementia. The past couple weeks have brought other sad and difficult news: an alum of our school seriously injured in a fall, a current student seriously injured in a skateboarding accident, classmates of mine losing their fathers within days of one another, reading about the debilitating nature of ongoing treatment for metastatic cancer from the viewpoint of a Stage IV patient, family news that brings a wide range of emotions.

If I allowed the darkness, sadness, worry, concern, and fear to engulf me, gratitude and other positive, forward-moving emotions would be nearly impossible to grow. But remaining grateful, even during the struggles, keeps a light source flowing and cultivation possible. A little gratitude can go a long way in promoting good growing conditions.

It is also important to keep cultivating gratitude when life is rolling along smoothly. In fact, for me, that can sometimes be a more challenging time to be grateful. Complacency creeps in and I become forgetful of the grace in life. I am reminded regularly of what happens to recovering alcoholics and addicts who get complacent in their recovery. They end up using again and some never make it back to sobriety.

All of us are at risk of complacency if we take too much for granted in our lives, if we don't take time to be aware of and acknowledge the help we get along the way. I remember the small, 4- or 6-row cultivator my dad attached to our John Deere 50 tractor when I was young. Today, you can buy cultivators with 36 rows. Their job is to turn the soil and keep the weeds down to improve crop yield. Gratitude practice turns the soul and keeps the weeds of discontent down. Big or small doses of gratitude, just keep cultivating it.

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