Gratitude’s not a one-time thing…
Not just once, not just for one thing…it’s an everyday-and-everything thing! And I love this tale that shows it so clearly so I’m sharing it again!
There once was a woman who woke up one morning, looked in the mirror, and noticed she had only three hairs on her head. “Well,” she said, “I think I’ll braid my hair today.” So she did and she had a wonderful day.
The next day she woke up, looked in the mirror, and saw that she had only two hairs on her head. “Hmm,” she said, “I think I’ll part my hair down the middle today.” So she did and she had a grand day.
The next day she woke up, looked in the mirror and noticed that she had only one hair on her head. “Well,” she said, “today I’m going to wear my hair in a ponytail.” So she did and she had a fun, fun day.
The next day she woke up, looked in the mirror and noticed that there wasn’t a hair on her head. “YEAH,” she exclaimed, “I don’t have to fix my hair today!”
Attitude is everything.
I know you and I each have much to be grateful for. And though we may remember it especially at Thanksgiving time, we know that every morning we wake up we can be grateful for so very much!
But the Stoics saw that every day should be a day of thanks, not just for the usual candidates like your family, your health, the food in front of you but also for the often perceived negative things-for the setbacks, the people who wronged you, for having your life disrupted by a pandemic, for…
- that nagging pain in your leg-thank you, it’s making me take things slow.
- that mistake you made-thank you for reminding me to be more careful, for teaching me a lesson.
- the pandemic-thank you for the hundreds of consecutive days at home with my family, for showing me what is and isn’t essential, for giving me the opportunity to restructure my life around the people and activities that matter most.
3 Comments
Good points!! Instead of being upset by the small stuff just laugh at it and fix it! Thanks Pat!
Oh, Pat, I really like the story of the woman with 3, 2, 1, and no hair. Gratitude is important. We really can be thankful in all situations. Thank you for the good reminder.
I leave you with this test of whether you can be thankful for the unexpected. I could not finish my comment without “saying” that the tale you shared made me think of “hair today and gone tomorrow.” (Smile preferred over eye roll or groan)
Gratitude is one of the three things I base my prayers on, along with love and forgiveness.
These cover it all for me.
BTW I’m grateful for Pat and this blog!