Think Lightly

Living gratefully today, I say thank you for a good visit to the dentist yesterday, meaning "See you in six months." Thank you to my efficient hygienist and modern dental technology too.

I am grateful for lunch with my friend Candy, a phone conversation with my friend Sheila, and time with recovery friends yesterday too. Connections matter.

Consider this quote:
"Think lightly of yourself and deeply of the world."
Miyamoto Musashi

Musashi was a Japanese swordsman and philosopher who lived in the early 1600's. His words certainly still are wise, and entirely applicable, 400 years later.

If you would like regular thought-provoking words about gratefulness, I encourage you to sign up to receive the "Word for the Day" at gratefulness.org.  You will get a daily email. 

Think lightly of myself? I am a heavy, inefficient thinker who gets spun up more often than I would like to admit. I am making progress learning to be a lighter thinker and to throw more weight into the true heart of my emotions. That's a better balance than a burdened, head-heavy thinker.

But years, decades, of inefficient thinking can't be turned around overnight. Trains of thought can't be derailed and put on the right track with a snap of the fingers. So I look for help from outside myself and this little ole' head o' mine. I apply willingness and patience, and I do the work it takes, day by day.

Meditation helps me think lightly. I can acknowledge a thought as a thought. Just that. Nothing more.
Less hijacking of my mind goes on that way.

Squirrels help me think lightly. They remind me to be playful, not too much of a pest to others, and that I am a small part of a big whole. Think deeply of the world, via squirrel observations.

Observing others and life's everyday happenings, helps me think lightly. At the dentist office yesterday, I overheard an elderly lady talking to the receptionist about her and her husband's anniversary. She said something like “every day is Valentine’s Day for us, especially at our age."

I joke that every day is Valentine's Day for Darcy and I, because of our last name. This lady's comment gave me pause to consider that differently.

And I concluded that thinking lightly conserves my energy, leaving more for love and laughter to share with Darcy and so many others in my life. It is the love and laughter that lead me to the deeper meanings and genuine emotions of life.

Comments