Roses and Thorns
Today I am grateful for the exercise bike we have in our basement and that I could use it comfortably this morning. I am also grateful for sensible drivers who share the road with me.
The following was a recent quote in my gratitude journal:
"Some people are always grumbling that roses have thorns; I am thankful that
thorns have roses." (Alphonse Karr)
Karr was a French writer and journalist who lived in the 1800's, but this quote seems timeless.It's all in how a person looks at things. Perspective. Perception.
If I look for negative, I will find it. But the converse is true as well. If I look for the positive, I will find it too. Where do I prefer to go looking? For the thorns or the roses?
Gratitude practice helps me keep the focus on looking for roses, looking for what is going well, what I can be thankful for in this moment, this day, my present life circumstances. It doesn't mean I naively choose to only look for the positive and deny that things can be tough at times. The thorns can't be avoided entirely. They are part of life.
But when I am paying attention, as practicing gratitude requires, I see more thorns before I hurt myself on them. And the ones that can't be avoided? They don't seem to cut as deep and painfully. The scars heal more quickly.
This quote also reminds me to endure through a difficult time. Sometimes the thorn is there for a while before the rose is revealed. Gratitude practice teaches me to hang in there, to have hope. It teaches me to have faith in the dark until more light dawns.
Roses or thorns? Which are you looking for today?
The following was a recent quote in my gratitude journal:
"Some people are always grumbling that roses have thorns; I am thankful that
thorns have roses." (Alphonse Karr)
Karr was a French writer and journalist who lived in the 1800's, but this quote seems timeless.It's all in how a person looks at things. Perspective. Perception.
If I look for negative, I will find it. But the converse is true as well. If I look for the positive, I will find it too. Where do I prefer to go looking? For the thorns or the roses?
Gratitude practice helps me keep the focus on looking for roses, looking for what is going well, what I can be thankful for in this moment, this day, my present life circumstances. It doesn't mean I naively choose to only look for the positive and deny that things can be tough at times. The thorns can't be avoided entirely. They are part of life.
But when I am paying attention, as practicing gratitude requires, I see more thorns before I hurt myself on them. And the ones that can't be avoided? They don't seem to cut as deep and painfully. The scars heal more quickly.
This quote also reminds me to endure through a difficult time. Sometimes the thorn is there for a while before the rose is revealed. Gratitude practice teaches me to hang in there, to have hope. It teaches me to have faith in the dark until more light dawns.
Roses or thorns? Which are you looking for today?
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