Greetings All ~
One thing I'm learning to like about hard times and troubles is that they end. It's taken me a raft of experiences and pinpointing a pattern to appreciate this.
I've had my share of challenges over the years: crawling through addictions (not only my own), deaths of spouses and marriages, concerns about children, breaks with family members, abusive situations, financial woes, loss of trust of opinion leaders. I'll be the first to admit I've been lucky enough not to ever have had to live at a mere survival level. I've gotten home and dry every time so far. But I really didn't understand the whole purpose of the difficulties.
Here's a rather recent mundane example. The week before Christmas there was a big rainstorm here in LA. I received a phone call at 4 AM from a friend of mine in India. I was kind of annoyed and said to him, "Hey man, you really gotta get the world clock app for your phone. You keep waking me up." But we had a nice chat for a bit. I was unable to get back to sleep so I got outta bed. It was raining hard. I was in the kitchen and I heard a stream of water in the living room. Upon investigation, I found water pouring from a light fixture in the ceiling. Long story short, the repair was completed before the next big rainstorm that started Christmas Eve.
Circumstances dictated I was solo on Christmas. I didn't mind. I was feeling so much gratitude. I was warm and dry. I really appreciated my tight, cozy home. Without the leak, I might not have noticed how sweet my place is. This gratitude spread to looking at all the Christmas cards that had arrived, noticing that this was the prettiest tree I'd ever had, that my fridge was full and calls, texts and emails of the season's greetings were coming in.
This realization of difficulty, the "bad" blossoming into gratitude, all started the week before, with a call from a dear friend who just wanted to connect—a call I had found annoying at that moment. Had that call not come, the leak wouldn't have been discovered so quickly. There was a whole string of events that led to its repair. Getting help from my son. Thank you. The president of the condo association getting an estimate and an ok from the board to pay for the repairs. Thank you. The roofers not showing up as scheduled. OMG! Another impending storm. OMG! Christmas is coming. OMG! Ahhhh...the job is completed. Thank you.
This happens all the time. It can be applied individually or collectively. It is our wont as humans to focus on the drama rather than the final outcome, which deserves more attention than it gets. Sometimes the cycle takes years or lifetimes to complete. It is the purpose of duality.
We are, right now, as a species, in a big storm. It can be reacted to hysterically or viewed historically. Remember learning about the Renaissance? That immense volume of creativity and beauty followed the Dark Ages. No one remembers those Dark Ages artists but they had the wherewithal to continue through it and get to the "good" part.
As I look back, I'm able to see the relief of gratitude is non-existent without the pressure of life's events.
Sometimes we're being put through the wringer and we're so glad when whatever it is is over. Noticing and holding onto the feeling of relief that gratitude brings makes the next rough ride easier. I was alone for Christmas again, dang COVID. It's okay. I'm healthy and snug. I am loved. Thank you.
And I get another call from that dear friend in India, high in the Himalayas, to wish me a Merry Christmas. So, thank you.
All Good Things,
VickyRose