I woke up today still feeling tired. I have had an ear infection that is still uncomfortable. I lay there in bed feeling a bit disappointed in myself that I didn’t feel ready to bound out of bed and do some yoga or something productive and wanted to pull the blankets over my head and go back to sleep. I was starting to feel rather grumpy and unsettled.
Then I took a few minutes to focus on how lucky I am that it is school holidays and I actually don’t need to go to work today. I can take few extra minutes in bed to wake up, because I have no pressing jobs that need to be done. I reached over from beneath my blankets and opened the bedroom window and felt the cool fresh air flooding in to the room then I opened the curtains to find a lovely sunny morning.
It was a nice start to the day that reminded me once again how important my attitude is in determining the path of my day. I spent years wondering why everyday felt like a struggle, why I felt exhausted all the time and things didn’t ever run smoothly – before I finally realised that my own thoughts shape my day- the attitude I take into the day from the outset will affect how I perceive the events of my day and therefore my thoughts shape my reality. I can make a conscious decision to choose a good attitude every single day and see everything through my positive filter or I can let the grumpy unsettled thoughts affect how I view my world instead.
When I was about 17 I read the following words written by Kahil Gibran and they started me thinking about the small little things I ignore when I focus on the small humps on life’s path instead. It took about another 17 years before I started to really understand the power of these words but I got there in the end….
“And could you keep your heart in wonder at the daily miracles of your life, your pain would not seem less wondrous than your joy; And you would accept the seasons of your heart, even as you have always accepted the seasons that pass over your fields.” Quote taken from ‘The Prophet’ by Kahil Gibran
Sometimes it is more challenging that others but I find that gratitude, really feeling grateful, is the most powerful defence I have against my own negativity.
I am always grateful to be alive, to have the love of a wonderfully kind and supportive husband and I am blessed with two daughters that I couldn’t love more. We are also blessed to be able to live here in beautiful New Zealand and to have a healthier lifestyle.
This morning I also feel particularly grateful for the following 5 things:
1. The school holidays – the opportunity to recharge my batteries, depend time with my babies and get creative
2. The sunshine- the warmth, brightness and beauty that it brings to the day
3. Comfortable blankets – feeling them against my skin as I am cocooned in my bed is a delicious feeling
4. Hot coffee- I love the big cup of coffee I have first thing every morning. It puts me on track to have a wonderful day and besides I am always grateful for coffee😀
5. Birds in the garden – with the window open I can hear the birds singing to herald the start of the new day. Whenever I stop and pay attention to my environment it is usually the birds that I notice first as there are so many of them here compared to where we lived in the UK. They always seem to start and end the day with joy and I find them a great source of inspiration.
There is always something to be grateful for!
Breadthoflife 