Gratitude and Grace

“When you are grateful fear disappears

and abundance appears.”

~ Anthony Robbins

I was smack in the middle of an “I don’t have a thing to wear” moment, with most of the contents of my closet strewn across the bed and floor, when gratitude first entered my live in a conscious way.  Already late for work, I finally threw on a suitable ensemble and dashed to the kitchen to grab a quick breakfast. Standing in front of my open fridge; full to the brim with good, nutritional foods, sweet treats and a jug of clean water – it hit me:  While I was furiously rummaging through my closet FULL of quality clothing - cursing the clothes gods for my lack, and then there fretting in a kitchen stocked to extravagance, 1,000’s, no, 100’s of 1,000’s of women across the globe, likely dressed in their only item of clothing, had been on the move for hours, and would likely spend the rest of the day searching for something their family could eat. The image literally brought me to my knees.  It was an AH-HA moment that struck like lightening and has remained with me ever since.

I spent the next few days in hyper- conscious thought around all my good fortune and its contrast to the many who had so much less. Recalling how inconvenienced I felt when my car broke down and I had to rely on family members to transport me to and from my daily labors for a few days, I thought about the millions of men and women who awakened in the dark to start the long hours of maneuvering through the public transportation system to ultimately reach their work place (where they likely earned barely a living wage).  I recalled the fear and anxiety I felt when my Mom became ill and entered the medical system for the first time, and about the people who carried their loved ones for miles and days, in hopes that the visiting nurse in a hut in the next village might have something to ease their pain.  I thought about the many wonderful vacations I’ve enjoyed with family and friends, and then of all the people who, because of their circumstances, had never left the towns or villages of their birth, had never seen the ocean or a forest.

Gratefully, I resisted the temptation to sell all my material goods and run off to save a third world country, and instead came to this realization:  it is not for us to lord our good fortune over others, nor to discard the gifts we are given, but to receive, with gratitude, that which comes our way and share it, where we can, through compassion, kindness and love. 

That is what I’ve tried to do, in some small way, each day since that morning on my knees in front of the refrigerator. Since then I’ve been committed to being grateful everyday, thoughtfully finding and acknowledging (I keep a gratitude journal) the Grace in my life, the blue of the sky, the laughter of my grandson, the good fortune of having a safe car. And since I started my practice of gratitude, my life has become even more full of things and people to be grateful for and I am.

I encourage you to choose gratitude as your attitude this week – and see what happens. Then, please share your experiences here at The 51 Percent Project blog or on our FB page: The 51% Project.  Your stories keep us inspired, and encourage others’ as well.  Thank you.

Namaste,

Dorothy

We hope you are finding our daily Facebook posts inspiring.  If you missed this week’s offerings, please enjoy them below.

“Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life.

It turns what we have into enough, and more.

It turns denial into acceptance, chaos to order, confusion to clarity.

It can turn a meal into a feast, a house into a home,

a stranger into a friend. Gratitude makes sense of our past,

brings peace for today, and creates a vision for tomorrow.”

~ Melody Beattie

“As we express our gratitude, we must never forget that the

highest appreciation is not to utter words, but to live by them.”

~ John F. Kennedy

“Gratitude is when memory is stored in

the heart and not in the mind.”

~ Lionel Hampton

“Let us be grateful to people who make us happy;

 they are the charming gardeners

who make our souls blossom.”

~ Marcel Proust

“We often take for granted the very things

that most deserve our gratitude.”

 ~ Cynthia Ozick

“Wake at dawn with a winged heart

and give thanks for another day of loving.”

 ~ Kahlil Gibran