Precious Plank

Today I am grateful for a pause to become aware of my breathing in and breathing out, and for healthy lungs. I am also grateful for my friend Sheila and our genuine and lasting connection.

Today is Sheila's birthday. Happy birthday my friend! Older and wiser.

This quote caught my attention first because it is a Hungarian proverb. That reminded me of my friend Tibor who recently passed away. He was from Hungary. Then, the words sunk in:

"When the bridge is gone, the narrowest plank becomes precious." 

(Hungarian proverb)

It's an analogy I relate to in many ways. A goal of living gratefully is to not take the sturdy bridges of my life for granted, to care for them so they stay in good shape and don't become rickety and unstable.

Yesterday morning, tired and somewhat disillusioned by the prospect of the day ahead, I felt one of these bridges start to sway a little. Regular gratitude practice is good day in and day out, but sometimes it doesn't feel fresh. It feels a little stale, a little too familiar. That is to be expected. It is how life is. 

So I mixed it up a little. I wrote a note of gratitude and put it in a family member's lunch box. I started my commute looking for things to be grateful for on a stretch of road I drive mindlessly down many times a week. They were like a new coat of sealant for my bridge planks. They offered a little more protection and stabilized the bridge again. 

Narrow and treacherous thoughts opened up to mindful presence and a sense of calm, or at least calmer.

Sometimes the precious plank can be doing something beyond my typical living gratefully practices.
Sometimes the precious plank is a simple pause for the gift of air to breathe. 

Is your bridge stable today? Are there planks that need tending?