A Calmness
Today I am grateful for good books to read, time with recovery friends, and the wisdom they share.
Yesterday's quote in my gratitude journal was "There is a calmness to a life lived in gratitude, a quiet joy." Thank you Ralph H. Blum for that quote.
Calmness and joy are terms probably defined a little differently by each one of us. I would define calmness as a quiet mind and a sane pace to both my thoughts and actions. Joy is tougher to define because it is ever-evolving. I guess I would define it as being content in the present moment. And since the present moment is never repeated, there are endless sources of joy. Yesterday it may have been the way Oliver (our dog) stretches himself before we go out for our morning walk. The day before it may have been sitting in the warm morning sun on the patio with my husband enjoying a cup of coffee, or hearing my son's laughter.
Calmness and joy are also relative terms. If calmness and chaos are different ends of a continuum of one's state of mind, I reside closer to calmness these days and further from chaos. I still dabble in chaotic thoughts, but I don't live in them like I used to. I agree with the quote. Gratitude keeps me calmer because gratitude soothes my thoughts. Instead of spinning thoughts about poor me and how the world is out to get me, I weave a web of things to be grateful for and I feel supported-by those around me and the larger world.
Joy is no longer elusive to me, but it is also not a constant state. If it were, how would I appreciate it fully? We will all have struggles, challenges, frustrations, and hurts. They are part of life. I have learned to look for the little joys, the daily ones that are always there. I just need to be open and aware. That is where gratitude practice sets me up in the right way. Calmness and joy are the result of gratitude practice for me. Onward!
Yesterday's quote in my gratitude journal was "There is a calmness to a life lived in gratitude, a quiet joy." Thank you Ralph H. Blum for that quote.
Calmness and joy are terms probably defined a little differently by each one of us. I would define calmness as a quiet mind and a sane pace to both my thoughts and actions. Joy is tougher to define because it is ever-evolving. I guess I would define it as being content in the present moment. And since the present moment is never repeated, there are endless sources of joy. Yesterday it may have been the way Oliver (our dog) stretches himself before we go out for our morning walk. The day before it may have been sitting in the warm morning sun on the patio with my husband enjoying a cup of coffee, or hearing my son's laughter.
Calmness and joy are also relative terms. If calmness and chaos are different ends of a continuum of one's state of mind, I reside closer to calmness these days and further from chaos. I still dabble in chaotic thoughts, but I don't live in them like I used to. I agree with the quote. Gratitude keeps me calmer because gratitude soothes my thoughts. Instead of spinning thoughts about poor me and how the world is out to get me, I weave a web of things to be grateful for and I feel supported-by those around me and the larger world.
Joy is no longer elusive to me, but it is also not a constant state. If it were, how would I appreciate it fully? We will all have struggles, challenges, frustrations, and hurts. They are part of life. I have learned to look for the little joys, the daily ones that are always there. I just need to be open and aware. That is where gratitude practice sets me up in the right way. Calmness and joy are the result of gratitude practice for me. Onward!
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