Crazy Grateful!

Our inspiration to talk about gratitude this week didn’t come from the fact that Thanksgiving is just around the corner, like you would have thought. Instead, it came from a statement I made to David about a month ago... I told him, “While this last year has been undoubtedly the hardest of my life, I am so grateful for it.” This stopped him in his tracks because he has witnessed me (and the rest of the world) experience a great deal of pain and loss over the last year. I was equally shocked by the words that came out of my mouth. So we asked ourselves, how was I able to access gratitude despite it all? 

I said (and feel this) for many reasons. It should be known, however, that it is not about glazing over or disregarding mine and other’s hardships. Instead, it is about the opposite. In order to access gratitude, we must first acknowledge the challenge, sit in it’s discomfort, and allow ourselves and others to fully experience it. This allows energy to move through us so that inspiration and thankfulness can surface. 

So much was inspired out of this year for me personally… If it weren’t for this year, things like this podcast wouldn’t exist. I wouldn’t have sat and taken a hard look at re-identifying my values and how those did or did not show up in my life. This includes who I spend my time with, and how I spend my days. My workaholic tendencies would not have been confronted. My evolution of self-love and working through deeply ingrained insecurities would be more stagnant. The list goes on… 

I am sure many of you can agree, that while this year has been painful, confusing, depleting, and intense, it has also been pivotal… It reminds us that maybe (just maybe) all things do happen for a reason. For me, this is a truth that gives me energy when I feel I have none left, or even more importantly - give thanks when I think I have none to give.