Not Feeling It
Today I am grateful for rest and perspective. I am also grateful for the beautiful moon this morning.
I can type the words above and it's not a lie. I am grateful for those things. But there are days when I am definitely not feeling it. I am not feeling grateful or really all that upbeat. Days when I am tired and frustrated and more than a little edgy and crabby.
Yesterday was one of those days. I wasn't feeling it, this gratitude I try to practice. I wasn't feeling it, but I practiced it anyway.
Cynics beware. You may wish to argue with this next point. Go ahead. It doesn't matter to me, because I know what works for me. And gratitude practice works, even when I am not feeling it. Even when I am the grouchy cynic.
How does it work? It works by keeping me from going over the edge of the abyss. It works by saving me from a crazy idea like how much better I would feel with a few drinks of alcohol. It works because it opens my eyes just enough to keep me from veering off the road into the muck of self-pity.
On these days I am not feeling it, it's like a swerve off the road onto the shoulder, but that is when I cash in my insurance. Those many days of practicing gratitude when I was feeling it are cashed in like good insurance and I get the car back on the road and proceed.
Proceed. Onward into this new day.
I can type the words above and it's not a lie. I am grateful for those things. But there are days when I am definitely not feeling it. I am not feeling grateful or really all that upbeat. Days when I am tired and frustrated and more than a little edgy and crabby.
Yesterday was one of those days. I wasn't feeling it, this gratitude I try to practice. I wasn't feeling it, but I practiced it anyway.
Cynics beware. You may wish to argue with this next point. Go ahead. It doesn't matter to me, because I know what works for me. And gratitude practice works, even when I am not feeling it. Even when I am the grouchy cynic.
How does it work? It works by keeping me from going over the edge of the abyss. It works by saving me from a crazy idea like how much better I would feel with a few drinks of alcohol. It works because it opens my eyes just enough to keep me from veering off the road into the muck of self-pity.
On these days I am not feeling it, it's like a swerve off the road onto the shoulder, but that is when I cash in my insurance. Those many days of practicing gratitude when I was feeling it are cashed in like good insurance and I get the car back on the road and proceed.
Proceed. Onward into this new day.
Hi Lisa,
ReplyDeleteMaybe it's very bad of me, but I sort of liked reading that you weren't feeling it. It's nice to know you have those days too. I am so glad you have figured out how practicing gratitude works for you, how it gets you back on track even on those days when you're not feeling it. Every time I visit your blog I am inspired. So, thank you.
It is not bad of you at all Nancy. It is genuine. And that is what I try to be in my blog, in any of my writing. We all have those days--it is what makes us human. Here is how I put it: Practicing gratitude doesn't make me immune to difficult emotions and struggles, but it does help me handle them better and move forward more timely. Thanks for stopping by!
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