What Do You Do For Fun? Lessons in Gratitude.

Question: “What do you do for fun?”

Answer: “I find fun in every day.”

I was raised by a mother who found beauty and joy in every day. Even on the days in her life, that were challenging. On those days, the only beauty kind of beauty may have been that she opened her eyes. When you think about it, though, that’s really not so small.

I’m not trying to make light of the fact that we all have times in our lives that don’t seem joyous or beautiful in the slightest. And, some of us face incredible challenges, physically, emotionally, financially etc., on a daily basis. But. And there is a But. We can ALL find one thing (and probably more) of beauty if we take the time to try. A cloud; a leaf; a child walking to school; a bird; the thousands of cute puppy pictures on social media; a drop of rain; even the weed that peaks its head through the crack in the sidewalk. Beauty, is many things, large and small, and surrounds us if we are just willing to see it.

In Mindful magazine, NBA coach George Mumford, described Neville Goddard’s approach in The Power of Awareness, “You create your reality by what you focus on. You become what you think.”

I was blessed with a mother who lived by that rule. Who taught by example. She didn’t make it look easy. She made it look REAL. There were times I saw her anger, her fear, and sadness, but those days she was also able to show her gratitude for a multitude of blessings she could choose to put her focus on. She never lost sight of the simple wonders that surrounded us all.

I try to keep a gratitude journal. Sometimes it is really difficult to move the negative feelings aside and write about beauty. Some days all you want to write is pain and sadness. And anger! And…?! Those are the days  I may only write: I am grateful that I can FEEL; and that I have a pen and paper; the sun came up; or, I can see clouds; or, the dog is sitting next to me. What I discover is, that often, those small observances I’ve pushed myself to put down on paper, can make me laugh and their insignificance doesn’t feel so unimportant after all. As I start to focus on the tidbits of joy, I inevitably start to look for more. The outside world didn’t change because I chose to see beauty, but the inside of ME began a shift. Feeling that, keeps me picking up that pen every day. And living the way my mother taught me.

An old friend said to me recently, “Don’t focus on writing your resume. Think about writing your eulogy.” An interesting perspective to use in our daily life.

Since each day we open our eyes is a blessing, let’s try to focus on just ONE thing of beauty. Today. And, if by chance, that should multiply to TWO, or THREE, well… smile, and give thanks.

jewelry with a story, gratitude gold necklace

                    My mother’s hand-drawn heart

 

 

 

 

 

 

Remember ~ Treasure ~ Love…

Kitt

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

If you still aren’t convinced that changing your focus can change your life, take a look at this book by my friend, Janice Kaplan.

 

 

 

 

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5 Response Comments

  • D. Bruce Stevens  February 11, 2016 at 2:48 PM

    OMG, this is so wonderful, and so timely. I needed to be reminded of this today, and reading this turned my day around BIG TIME. Thank you.

    Reply
  • Happenstance  February 12, 2016 at 10:09 PM

    Thank you for this post. I landed on this page by happenstance. Searching the net regarding another topic lead me to pictures of you and your mother. Clicking through the beautiful pictures led me to this site. Boy, what a treasure I found in this post. I had a birthday on the 11th and for some reason became sort of sullen. I am not sure why because I enjoy the celebration of life. However, I couldnt shake my feeling. Reading this post rejuvanates me and helps me to see that even in my confusion of feeling, I am grately for life. I think this year I will guide my approach at life by the quote by Mr. Goddard. It is so poignant and true, and a great reinforcer when confusion and doubt trys to set in.

    Its great to know that your mother lived her life by it especially with the obstacales she faced in life. Many would have given up, but she didnt and that says a lot.

    Thank you for this post and may you continue to live in greatness.

    Reply
  • Cheryl Terry  February 24, 2016 at 3:47 PM

    Thank you for reminding us of the wonderful gift we have inside to create our reality. The legacy your mother gave to me as a young person in her classes lives strong and powerful within me on so many levels. Indeed, she did teach by example as she shared the magic of dance and our cultural heritage with us. Her joy was infectious and inspiring! I can still see her beautiful laughing face, sweat steaming from every pore as she gave us a new vision of who we could be and what we could accomplish. She would be proud to see that the tiny seeds we were when she met us have all blossomed into beautiful flowers now.

    Reply
  • Pat  May 24, 2016 at 2:01 PM

    I absolutely adored your mother. I am so grateful to have read this today. I was truly encouraged. Blessings to you always ; )

    Reply

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