Been sitting here for an hour, contemplating on what to write about. And so, it comes flooding back, I have a gratitude journal that has become my best friend in the last one year.
I have a page dedicated to stepping out and stepping up, and the first line says, thanks for the rejection, thanks for the disrespect, thanks for showing me who you are, what you stand for and what you are made of. It has been great knowing you and now that I know people like you, I have recognised my tendency to create expectations that cannot be met others. And so, I must manage my expectations of you or anyone else. Thanks for being an ass too because now I know how to identify the traits in others. But above all, thanks for the journey because you taught me so much about myself. Sometimes, we point the finger, blaming others without ever taking a moment to ask ourselves, what was my role in all of this drama and what has this person taught me about myself?
I sincerely believe some of the meanest people you will ever meet are in church and some of the nicest people are in church too. If there is one thing mean church folk have helped me with, it is the fact that when I get out there and see the same thing in the world, it is not so painful because I got educated at church. And so, I have learnt to be grateful for painful lessons because I know, they will help me grow. Though I may have been angry while I was in the hot seat and didn’t have much help, I made it and got over it.
My point today is this, even when you experience negative things that make you think, what da hell? Be grateful. If it didn’t happen, you would have never learnt your lesson and become a graduate of that experience.
I don’t believe in journalising the ills done to you but I do think it is important you journalise the lessons you learn from your life’s journey. So, be grateful for your life’s journey because there is so much to learn. There is someone who is in a worse place than you. Be grateful that you are one step up. There is someone wishing there were you or in your position, be grateful for your uniqueness and stamp, no one can ever take or replicate it. Even if they do try, they end up being duplicates.
Be grateful for the tears and the laughter, be grateful for the sadness and the joy that comes when the sorrow is over. Be grateful for the night seasons and the mornings that come too. Be grateful that you can still feel the wind pushing you about but you can’t say stop because it is too busy messing you about. Be grateful that you can still feel the gentle breeze on your skin. And be grateful for the good people in your life.
Just be grateful for the little things in your life. Be grateful no matter what because the story could well be different.
Be grateful and stay fabulous!!!
