Challenges as Catalysts: A New A-Z List
Living gratefully today, I am noticing what happens when a key light bulb burns out and we have no replacement on hand. There are other sources of light and I appreciate that.
Sources of light take many forms and serve many functions. If you have read even a few of my posts, you hopefully concluded that this is not a "gratitude as glossing over" practice. This is a "gleaning gratitude in the good and the god-awful times" practice. Living gratefully does not give me immunity from challenges, but it definitely gives me energy and guidance to move through them.
In my years of gratitude practice, I have learned these truths: Gratitude is always possible. Gratitude shared is gratitude multiplied. Granted, I may not see the silver lining in a challenge right away, but the rainbow always shows up after a storm. It may not show up on my timeline. It shows itself when I have become willing and humbled.
Sources of light take many forms and serve many functions. If you have read even a few of my posts, you hopefully concluded that this is not a "gratitude as glossing over" practice. This is a "gleaning gratitude in the good and the god-awful times" practice. Living gratefully does not give me immunity from challenges, but it definitely gives me energy and guidance to move through them.
In my years of gratitude practice, I have learned these truths: Gratitude is always possible. Gratitude shared is gratitude multiplied. Granted, I may not see the silver lining in a challenge right away, but the rainbow always shows up after a storm. It may not show up on my timeline. It shows itself when I have become willing and humbled.
One of the biggest challenges in my life, and for my sisters and family, has been cancer. As I processed my own treatments and surgeries in 2008 and 2009, silver linings showed themselves throughout. Yet, it rankled me a bit to call cancer a gift, so I began using the term catalyst.
A catalyst sparks or provokes significant change or action. We invite some catalysts into our lives. Choosing to run marathons is an an example of a big catalyst in my life the last fifteen years. Others show up uninvited. From a faith perspective, all catalysts are part of Great Spirit's plan for my life's direction.
I am embarking on a different kind of A-Z gratitude list in the coming weeks here on "Habitual Gratitude." I will be moving through the alphabet of challenges and catalysts that have been a part of my life and the lives of people I care about and who care about me. I will bring the genuine and heartfelt honesty I strive to bring to all my posts. It is my story through my perspective. It is the growth and transformation I have gained and continue to gain.
As always, I hope you will find some common ground and thoughtful insights. See you tomorrow with "A" leading the way.
A catalyst sparks or provokes significant change or action. We invite some catalysts into our lives. Choosing to run marathons is an an example of a big catalyst in my life the last fifteen years. Others show up uninvited. From a faith perspective, all catalysts are part of Great Spirit's plan for my life's direction.
I am embarking on a different kind of A-Z gratitude list in the coming weeks here on "Habitual Gratitude." I will be moving through the alphabet of challenges and catalysts that have been a part of my life and the lives of people I care about and who care about me. I will bring the genuine and heartfelt honesty I strive to bring to all my posts. It is my story through my perspective. It is the growth and transformation I have gained and continue to gain.
As always, I hope you will find some common ground and thoughtful insights. See you tomorrow with "A" leading the way.
Comments
Post a Comment