Persistence Pays-In Exact Proportion

Today I am grateful for a warm enough morning to enjoy our front patio and a cup of coffee with my husband Darcy.  I am also grateful for a nice conversation with my son Sam.

This quote below makes me smile, both on my face and in my heart. Years with no results? I can't say I have ever experienced that. Persistence and perseverance are results in and of themselves.

"Even if our efforts of attention seem for years to be producing no result, 
one day a light that is in exact proportion to them will flood the soul." 
(Simone Weil)

I know discouragement. I know "why bother?" and "does it really matter?" But I also know flooding of the soul with such a deep sense of awakening, a deep sense of grace. My soul. The human soul.

If I hadn't gained a healthier perception of myself, if I hadn't known a little peace from my self-defeating thoughts, maybe I would have given up. But it didn't take long into my gratitude practice, which I began in earnest 20 years ago, for me to know it was making a difference. 

I am not flooded with gratitude every day. Who is? But I know frequent and consistent positive upticks in my outlook on life when I persist in my gratitude practice. And by practice I mean awareness of the gifts in my life. Sometimes that translates into writing a thank you or giving a gift to someone, but day in and day out it is mostly about paying attention. 

The light is brighter on some days, but it is always there. 


Comments

  1. Hi Lisa,
    I think practicing gratitude is mostly about paying attention too. And I also appreciate that you mention you are not flooded with gratitude every day. Some days it can be really hard to practice gratitude. And I think this is okay, maybe even a necessary part of the process. You keep things real. Thank you. Happy Thanksgiving to you and yours.

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    Replies
    1. Thank you for your comments Nancy. I agree, if we were always grateful and happy, how could we appreciate coming through a difficult time? Life is real. Gratitude is real. Pain is real. Paying attention to all of it is what helps me gain
      perspective. Happy Thanksgiving to you and yours as well!

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