The journey: gratitude

For some time now I have been meaning to write a little about the concept of gratitude.  I was reminded while reading someone else's blog last week and then I keep catching a glimpse of my gratitude card so clearly I am meant to share.

You see the thing is, before I found yoga and reiki I believe I was very asleep for I had absolutely no concept of gratitude, or the power in words and thoughts and intention.  It was probably because I was a little bit too depressed to really believe I had any reason to feel any gratitude for anything. Which makes me feel a bit sad now, because isn't that the nature of depression, it makes us so dark to the world that we can see no beauty in even a flower.

Fortunately yoga and Reiki brought with them an awakening, I truly feel that I woke from a very dark slumber, so that all these words like 'gratitude' and 'blessings' and' joy' and 'beautiful' came into my world again and all of a sudden I was truly gracious for the changes that took place in my life and for the beauty of the journey that brought me to this moment with all its challenges and tribulations, yet all its awakenings, love, peace and freedom too.

I was given a card at the end of a shadow yoga class I happened upon at a healing centre in Byron Bay which said, "Gratitude turns what I have into enough and more".  This card sits in my yoga room and catches my eye regularly so that it has become a little like an affirmation.  Each day after my practice I pray and express gratitude, give thanks then, to the Divine for all the beauty in life.  Even on the dark days where the beauty is more challenging to find, for there is much to be thankful for in our lives.

And it has helped, expressing gratitude. It helps to keep you awake, trying to see the bigger picture.  It gives you perspective then.  And it is true that gratitude does indeed turn what you have into enough and more.  You only have to reflect on all those suffering in this world. We have enough.  Deep inside, we all have enough.  But some have more than others.  And here in the West, here in Guernsey, well really we are very blessed.

Recently this pome has come into my life three times, which means I am meant to take notice.  Anything that comes into your life three times is said to have come in for a reason, it is meant to catch your attention, there is a message in there somewhere.  I would like to share the poem with you, the fact you are reading this, especially if you have stumbled on this post, means something brought you here, so read carefully and see how it makes you feel:

The Journey by Mary Oliver

One day you finally knew

what you had to do, and began,

though the voices around you

kept shouting

their bad advice-

though the whole house

began to tremble

and you felt the old tug

at your ankles

"Mend my life!"

each voice cried.

But you didn't stop.

You knew what you had to do,

though the wind pried

with its stiff fingers

at the very foundations,

though their melancholy

was terrible.

It was already late

enough, and a wild night,

and the road full of fallen

branches and stones.

But little by little,

as you left their voices behind,

the stars began to burn

through the sheets of clouds,

and there was a new voice

which you slowly

recognized as your own,

that kept you company

as you strode deeper and deeper

into the world,

determined to do

the only thing you could do -

determined to save

the only life you could save".

Keep well.

With gratitude

xx