What is possible here?
I’d Heard It Before but Still Needed to Hear It
I’m reading this great book that I highly recommend for anyone who is interested in systems and transformation especially on a large scale. It is called Emergent Strategy by Adrienne Maree Brown. It is one of those books that is exciting and groundbreaking and then also includes things that you already know. Sometimes I get really frustrated with books like that and want to skip ahead to the new lessons, the novel, the blow-my-mind parts. I had just been reading about community transformation being likened to starling murmurations and mycelium. It was all so very engaging and then I came into a section where she was talking about being late to an important presentation she was facilitating. She mentions the lesson of choosing her attitude as she was rerouted and stuck in traffic. I almost skipped a few pages because it was one of those, “yeah yeah, I know this stuff” moments. But I’m glad I didn’t because I read this quote, “Then I had the thought that often shifts my mood: this is all the miracle.”
The quote stuck with me but honestly I didn’t give it a second thought. Until the next day when my car didn’t start. And I couldn’t afford to take a lyft to zumba so I was missing the class I really needed for my body and well-being. And then as I was dealing with the heavy battery that had no handle, my back was hurting. And then it couldn’t be charged and I had to buy a new one on an extremely limited budget. And as all of this was swimming around my head and aching body the quote popped into my head. I laughed at my, “yeah yeah, I know this stuff” ways and remembered that it’s not about knowing it. It’s about remembering it when we need it the most. Because usually when we need it the most we forget. Or life just piles on and we aren’t thinking with that mind that is open to possibilities.
When things are hard, stressful, infuriating, painful we might not remember that we can find gratitude. That we can find the lesson in it. That we can find the miracle. That we can say yes to that moment and in turn to all of existence. And that’s ok. In that moment we might just need to be in our feelings about it. But our gratitude practice is a reflection practice. It reminds us to take the time to reflect on a daily basis. To look back with gratitude. To find the possibilities. To find the miracle.
And with each day maybe we need fewer and fewer reminders of those lessons we already know. But if you’re like me, you’ll still need the reminder sometimes too. What I hope for now is grace and gratitude in receiving that reminder.
And that is just what happened as I walked at noon on one of the hottest days of the year, back aching and worried about my own petty worries and worried about the supreme court decisions and the asylum-seekers being imprisoned. I remembered that this moment is the miracle too. And I smiled. And I kept moving forward. Doing the work that needs to be done.
To say yes to one instance is to say yes to all existence.
~Otto Hoffman
What possibility are you grateful to acknowledge?
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[su_note note_color=”#e7e7e7″ text_color=”#686767″ radius=”0″] My gratitude journey started in May 2011 and continues to this day. Thank you for being a part of it! A daily gratitude practice is simple. Write down three things you are grateful for each day. Download your free GratitudeGuide. My clients focus on gratitude and learn from their successes to make the positive changes they want in their lives. You can too. Call me to set up our first meeting 505.333.9336. [/su_note]