I recently began a week long exercise in keeping a gratitude journal. Each night I would write down all the things I was thankful for, sometimes just a simple line, sometimes writing a paragraph, but always acknowledging the blessings in my life.
At the start of the exercise I thought of myself as a pretty grateful person. I take time to enjoy the way the breeze feels on my face, the color of the sky at sunset, the first bloom of the season. What I found is that I was barely scrapping the tip of the proverbial iceberg. In the past when I have kept a journal I have found it difficult to find anything to write about, but this was different, I had trouble putting my pen down each night. I would go to bed with a smile on my face because all my many blessings were fresh in my mind.
Never once during my week of gratitude journaling did I mention that I was grateful for my health. I only recognized this in hind sight when I wound up in the ER the following week. Health is one of those things like the car starting in the morning that we just take for granted until something goes out of whack. It made me renew my vow to practice gratitude.
So here is my gratitude list for that day in the emergency room
- I am grateful to my husband for spending the day driving me to the doctor’s office and then to the hospital
- I am grateful my doctor’s office was able to quickly process my information and try to make me as comfortable as possible.
- I am grateful the hospital has valet parking for the ER so that my husband could stay with me, instead of spending time parking and finding me later.
- I am grateful for the quick admittance to the ER. There was no wait to get a room.
- I am grateful for drugs they gave me to help reduce the pain.
- I am grateful for the support of a friend who works in the hospital who took the time out of his schedule to come see me.
- I am grateful for the health insurance that made this whole ordeal much easier to deal with.
- I was grateful to be released to my own bed at 11:00 p.m. that evening instead of having to stay overnight for observation.
- I am grateful for the staff that helped move me to tests and made the day go very smoothly.
- I am grateful for the licks of my puppies who welcomed me home that evening and who did not disturb me in my sleep.
- I am grateful for the support of my supervisors who continue to give me time to work around doctor’s schedules.
- I am grateful for the support and prayer of friends and family as we look for answers.
- I am grateful to my doctor for being so proactive and getting me into specialists and tests much faster than the average waiting time.
- I am grateful for the 6 lbs. that I have lost
- I am grateful for the opportunity to change the way I eat
So, am I grateful that I wound up in the ER? I don’t know that I would go that far, but it was a great opportunity to practice being in gratitude. I think my outlook changed what could have been a terrible experience.
You don’t need to have anything drastic happen for you to begin your own exercise in gratitude, but I certainly found it helpful to look for the silver lining. They say seeing is believing, but I think it is the other way around. If you believe it is so, you will see it that way. Because I was looking for opportunities to be grateful I found them at every turn.
