Thanks for the bad things?

Yes, I know there are no bad things! There are only circumstances that we label as “bad.” And we have all seen some great things come into our lives from bad experiences.

So, let’s change the word “bad” to “challenging.”

Now our mental state shifts to one in which we are not defeated, but inspired.

I give thanks for the scary things, the monsters in the dark corners. If nothing else, they provide contrast. The light is more dazzling after being in the dark. And in the light I see more of the kindness and love that people show in those moments.

I give thanks for the people in my life who don’t like me or what I do. I learn valuable lessons from them about myself and how to understand better why I do what I do.

I give thanks for my cancer scare. It taught me how precious life is and how much I love living.

I give thanks for the sadness and anxiety I have felt after having lost my husband and my sister. It  opened my heart to the love I want to share on a daily basis with all those I love.

I give thanks to rough times with my family. Through them, I have learned how to listen more carefully, accept more graciously.

I give thanks for the all the tiny day-to-day aggravations. They have taught me skills for coping even when I don’t feel like it. And they remind me that they are tiny!

I give thanks for the bad things. They show me so clearly how much I have to be thankful for.

And have YOU found some blessings in YOUR lessons?

Some funny English rules

Enjoy this list of “rules of writing” that share the humor of being self-contradictory! (After all, I was an English teacher in my first incarnation!) Don’t use no double negatives. A preposition is something never to end a sentence with. No sentence fragments. Don’t overuse exclamation marks!!! Verbs has to agree with their subjects. Take […]

When is it bad or good?

When do we consider a plant a weed? Got any “weeds” in your life? Simply expressed, a weed is any plant that grows where it isn’t wanted by us. It is interested to consider, though, that one person’s weed is another person’s wildflower! Weeds are defined by their tendency to flourish at the expense of […]

Thinking about money?

After all, it is April 15th and we all know what that means. It probably means we’re thinking about money! Did your folks ever say no to your wanting something expensive with the iconic “Money doesn’t grow on trees” response? If so, you may well have learned economic restriction! As you grow in your awareness of […]

Are you a lexophile too?

“Lexophile” is a word used to describe those that love using words in rather unique ways, such as “you can tune a piano, but you can’t tuna fish”, or “to write with a broken pencil is pointless.” Pick YOUR favorite! When fish are in schools, they sometimes take debate. When the smog lifts in Los […]

Right time and place?

A mother and a baby camel were lying around under a tree. Then the baby camel asked, “Why do camels have humps?” The mother camel considered this and said, “We are desert animals so we have the humps to store water so we can survive with very little water.” The baby camel thought for a […]

Are you a tumbleweed or a redwood?

Do you know what makes a tumbleweed so susceptible to the wind? It only puts down one root, and that root is very shallow. So, it is easily uprooted when the wind blows, going wherever the wind pushes it without any sense of direction or stability. Are there any “tumbleweeds” in your life? Could it […]

A short Zen tale plus a PS

Words matter, even when they are few! A man joined a monastery in which the monks were allowed to speak only two words every seven years. After the first seven years had passed, the new initiate met with the abbot who asked him, “Well, what are your two words?” “Food’s bad,” replied the man, who […]

The rules for being human

            You will receive a body. You may like it or hate it, but it will be yours for the entire period of this time around. You will learn lessons. You are enrolled in a full-time informal school called Life. Each day in this school you will have the opportunity […]

Emptiness can be a good thing

Does your fuel tank ever run empty? Is your life filled with places to go, things to do, people to see, goals to achieve..? Are you cramming your schedule, home, head and belly until they are too full? Do you chronically over schedule yourself? If everything is too full, you need to let there be […]