Daily Work for Daily Gratitude
Today I am grateful for the morning light and the way it welcomes us all to a new day. I am also grateful for the work of Brother David Steindl-Rast.
Today is Brother David's 91st birthday. Find our more about him at www.gratefulness.org.
I have learned, sometimes the hard way, that recovery from alcoholism requires daily work. "Daily work for a daily disease" is a phrase I both like and dislike. Sometimes I don't want to put in the effort and do the things that help me stay sober and sane. Experience is the best teacher though, and I know I am a better contributor and less of a contaminator when I do the daily work.
And please know that on many days this effort is invigorating for me, not drudgery.
It became more joyful and less laborious when I started to include regular gratitude practice after five years of sobriety. Slow learner here.
Daily work for daily gratitude helps me with my daily disease of alcoholism.
All things worth having require some effort don't they? (Don't buy the quick fix, easy solution hypes we are sold.) That includes better health through exercise and also healthy relationships. Relationships include the ones we have with ourselves as well as others and our surrounding environment.
Keep the gratitude flowing regularly and it comes through like a good insurance policy on the days when we want to say "no thanks."
My friend Steve Foran makes it easy to keep this daily gratitude flowing with his Daily Gratitudes.
I try to contribute several times a week, and just as importantly I try to read the gratitudes listed by others. If you haven't tried it, you may be surprised at how you feel a bump up in your own level of gratefulness when you simply take the time to read what others are thankful for.
A fitting closing to today's post are these words from Steve Foran, which I wholeheartedly agree with:
"When gratitude is at work in your life... everything is different. Everything."
Today is Brother David's 91st birthday. Find our more about him at www.gratefulness.org.
I have learned, sometimes the hard way, that recovery from alcoholism requires daily work. "Daily work for a daily disease" is a phrase I both like and dislike. Sometimes I don't want to put in the effort and do the things that help me stay sober and sane. Experience is the best teacher though, and I know I am a better contributor and less of a contaminator when I do the daily work.
And please know that on many days this effort is invigorating for me, not drudgery.
It became more joyful and less laborious when I started to include regular gratitude practice after five years of sobriety. Slow learner here.
Daily work for daily gratitude helps me with my daily disease of alcoholism.
All things worth having require some effort don't they? (Don't buy the quick fix, easy solution hypes we are sold.) That includes better health through exercise and also healthy relationships. Relationships include the ones we have with ourselves as well as others and our surrounding environment.
Keep the gratitude flowing regularly and it comes through like a good insurance policy on the days when we want to say "no thanks."
My friend Steve Foran makes it easy to keep this daily gratitude flowing with his Daily Gratitudes.
I try to contribute several times a week, and just as importantly I try to read the gratitudes listed by others. If you haven't tried it, you may be surprised at how you feel a bump up in your own level of gratefulness when you simply take the time to read what others are thankful for.
A fitting closing to today's post are these words from Steve Foran, which I wholeheartedly agree with:
"When gratitude is at work in your life... everything is different. Everything."
True indeed... it is a daily practice... and a simple one. Connecting with others in this daily gratitude practices definitely helped me. Honored for the mention and appreciate our connection.
ReplyDeleteSimple, but not always easy. My thinking sometimes interferes. The good news is that there is personal and scientific evidence that we can retrain our brains. Thank goodness!
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