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Gratitude…
Greetings dear friends & welcome to my world again this week. I swim 3~4 times a week in the local municipal swimming pool, & typically Saturday I also go down there Saturdays, ride a byke for 30 kms in 60 minutes & read my National Business Review [yes, a man who can do two things @ same time].
Given we have just concluded a month ~ six week period of school holidays, it is always a challenge getting space, not to mention the noise. Yesterday however, I had the whole pool to myself for 20 minutes. Unbelievable, the pool lifeguard attendants wanted me to get out early so they could sit down & rest… Bad luck for them, not their day…
Whilst taking time out most days typically after the lunch period when quieter, I often reflect on: ‘how lucky, or blessed even, am I to have such a luxury. Hence the topic of my thoughts today.
I am sure many people have times where we think on the topic of gratitude. How about you my friends? Does gratitude flavour your life? Are the words & the thoughts racing through your mind marked by gratitude?
Over the last 30 days, if you were to give yourself a gratitude grade, what would it be? Better yet, if your partner or close friend were to give you a grade for gratitude in your life, what do you think it would be? Would they say your life overflows with gratitude? Take a moment to honestly asses the last month.
For you, what does a life overflowing with gratitude look like? In this article I want to give you a simple sentence to remember & reflect on this week. Here is the first half of the sentence… When the grace flows in . . .
It all starts with grace. It is a word we may toss around quite freely, or perhaps never even give a thought to. But when is the last time you thought about the meaning of grace FOR YOU. Right now. No matter what our current situation. Today. At this hour. No matter how you mess up today or tomorrow, when was the last time?
When I stop, reflect & just think of those times when the grace flows in, often the gratitude flows out. Whenever I really understand grace, gratitude is the natural by-product.
But, I also know from my own experience, I can lose sight of grace. And when this happens, my gratitude can quickly turn into grumbling. So, what tends to flow out of you these days… grumbling or gratitude? Are your words joyful & appreciative? I am talking about the kind of gratitude which makes you less petty & less critical.
Here is the really good news. You, & I get to choose gratitude. No one else controls it. No one else can take it away from you. We are not victims. Just think how some of our greatest heroes have shown for us how to be grateful in the worst of circumstances.
One of the lessons I am continuing to learn is my gratitude is often linked to my ability in “staying present in the moment”. Let me explain. Life these days moves pretty fast. If we are not careful, we can blow right past opportunities for gratitude to fill our soul. We need to learn to linger. What is something you need to linger over today & will cause gratitude to bubble up in your soul?
If you are going to be happy & grateful, it must be today, right now. In fact, I want to invite you to make this week a “NO COMPLAINT” week. I am looking @ my calendar & thinking is this a challenge…
Before you move on with all your tasks & responsibilities for the next week, let me encourage you to take a few moments to reflect, & then take a few moments to linger over, as I suggested before, how very fortunate most us really are. My thoughts for you to consider this week is: gratitude would OVERFLOW in your life & spill out on every person you encounter.
I hope my comments each week are helpful dear readers; & again, provide just an opinion, from my world. Thank you for taking the time to be with me, I hope my journey may encourage you also. This is Kenn Butler in Paradise, Nelson. With my best wishes for another week… I look forward to being with you all again soon.
www.kennbutler.com
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