In fact, that could be said for each one of ‘em. I could say “I got 99 opportunities, and yes Love—this is one”. What a difference my attitude makes! Gratitude is like that. It doesn’t fool me into thinking that what’s real in any given moment isn’t happening. I don’t have to pretend about a thing. All I ever needed was a change of perspective—“A New Pair of Glasses”, as Chuck C. wrote.
Don’t get me wrong. Sadness happens. Sad things occur, and to greet every sad thing with immediate gratitude would be expecting too much. It would be a foolish denial of reality. I’ve set myself up many times in my life, self-sabotaging my own efforts, and I’ve suffered the inevitable negative outcomes. But sometimes, life has come at me with a fury which caught me completely off-guard. My practiced response was to feel as if I were drowning, rather than to learn to swim.
A practice of gratitude is, for me, my swimming lesson. Every day, in every situation, I have resolved to find in it—or adjacent to it—something for which my soul can soar. It’s there, even when I need to take the time to feel the sadness. Even if I feel otherwise depleted. Even if the “99 Problems” are trying to make themselves bigger than they actually are.
The ‘I AM’ is my constant companion and coach, urging me to remember to take a breath and keep kicking. For that, I am grateful.
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