Some Thoughts On Hope and Gratitude
I'm sitting here on a rainy afternoon pondering life and writing my first ever blog. (Be gentle please.) I have been trying to figure out just exactly what I wanted to write about for days now, really. And then it hit me: I want to write about it ALL. Life. It's ups and downs, magic, art, joy, sorrow, recovery, love. I want to write about my tragedies and my triumphs and everything in between. So without further ado, Lets get into today's topic: hope and gratitude.
"Hope is the thing with feathers, that perches in the soul, and sings the tune without the words, and never stops at all." - Emily Dickinson
The last few years of my life have been a struggle to say the least. I have ended relationships, began new ones, lost people and pets to death, been pretty sick physically a few times myself (thanks, Covid), had my car break down and almost kill me twice, and wrestled with my mental health more times than I can count. It would be easy to fall into a victim mindset. I can say this with authority because at times throughout the last few years, I have done it. But today's pondering isn't so much about all the hardships as it is about finding grace in the middle of it.
Finding Hope and Gratitude when it doesn't want to find you
I'm an alcoholic. In recovery 15 years, there are some things that are crucial to maintaining my sobriety. Getting out of and staying out of my head is at the top of the list. If I can't find gratitude for even the simplest joys in my life, or have faith that things will work out exactly how they are supposed to, I'm in trouble. Easier said than done, right?
Throughout the years I've found a few techniques to help me get back on track when I'm struggling to see the positives in life. The first is a simple gratitude list. Every morning I write down at least 4-5 things that I am grateful for and keep it with me so I can look at it throughout the day. When I am stewing in my own mess it can be hard to see the good around me, so putting it on paper makes it tangible.
The second thing that helps keep me in a space of serenity is reaching out to others. Reminding myself that I'm not alone is something that takes practice, but when I let others in, I lighten my burdens and become infused with gratitude and hope again.
Lastly, I try to give myself grace. No one is capable of sustaining a mindset of gratitude and hope 100% of the time. And that is OK. I allow myself to have the bad days. The point is to not unpack and live there.
If i'm to maintain any measure of this hope and gratitude in this life, I have to remember that people places and things are out of my control. And when I expect things to go a certain way, or for people to act in a particular manner I get let down. Instead- I try to focus on being hopeful that the universe will align me with exactly what I need, and to be deeply thankful for all of it. Life throws me some curve balls pretty regularly, but everything comes to me in divine timing so long as I remain hopeful & get out of my own way. Even some of the things that I have lost have been for my own good.
At some point or another, life gets a bit hairy for all of us. The key to making it through is staying in your magic. And staying hopeful is probably one of the most important elements to that. ESPECIALLY when it feels as though all hope is lost. From my experiences I can tell you that even when everything looks dark, there is always something to be hopeful/grateful for. I heard a saying a long time ago that went something like this: "I would rather have hope than the things I am hoping for." I often think about the gravity of that statement. Life is tricky, baby. But I would rather surf its ups and downs with hope and gratitude and nothing else, than have everything I could ever wish for, but no optimism for what life will bring me next. How do you bring these things into your life today? I'd love to hear from you!
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