Something I don’t do nearly enough is to sit back and look at my life from an outside perspective. It’s so easy to get caught up in the little things that make day-to-day life inconvenient or unsatisfying. I can lose days and weeks in rumination over a relationship to another person, and how it’s not going the way I want. I have a tendency to focus on the negative and allow only my shortcomings to take the center stage, or to dwell on the things I don’t have. It’s easy to do, really. Complaints are accessible, and can be made or found everywhere.
What I don’t do often enough is to soak in the understanding of just how fortunate I am. My life has been so blessed with abundance, it’s ridiculous. I have access to experiences, people, places that most will never know.
For example, tonight I found myself at an open mic in an artist’s backyard in Miami. It was a beautiful little gathering, full of artistic people who sat around and had soft conversations with one another. They shared poetry and music, always being supportive to the act on stage.
Now, I’m about to fall asleep on the couch in a warehouse full of art. Antique furniture accents spray painted walls and bizarre art pieces. I’m complaining about the cat hair on everything, yet not taking the time to appreciate just how cool it is that I get to be here. How many people in the world have been able to stay somewhere like this?
Gratitude. It’s an important lesson. One of the most important, for me. Learning how to love every part of myself, how to love the beautiful life I’ve been gifted. How to appreciate that yes, I am doing well, and yes, I am having incredible experiences.
At the moment, I’m grateful for a place to sleep. Time to capitalize on that.
