I am sitting with my laptop’s blank screen staring at me, my mind also blank when it comes to something to write. So I start where I am. I’ve started reading John Grisham’s Rogue Lawyer this morning, and the book takes me back to my days with the Pennsylvania Prison Society, but I don’t really want to go there. I felt so ineffectual and experienced so much pain in the face of our so-called justice system, which is not really just for those who can’t afford a good lawyer. Yet I stuck it out for over 20 years, going to visit inmates every week, listening to their concerns, knowing that even though their stories broke my heart, the most important thing I did was to provide a listening, nonjudgmental ear, which, I might add, felt pretty trivial concerning the charges they were facing. But that’s so true for so much of life. There is really little we can do in the face of the overwhelming power of the wealthy elite who don’t give a flying fig for what happens to the average person, but we can still be kind, accepting, gracious, and good listeners…which, in the grand scheme of things, does help.
I turn to my gratitude journal and open to a page headed by a quote from Epictetus, “He is a wise person who does not grieve what he has not, but rejoices for what he has.” I go on and read what I wrote for that week.
–My wonderful kids
–books that inspire and entertain me
–my houseplants and flowers that bring me so much pleasure
–The Twelve Steps
–a warm bed and a good night’s sleep
–walking with my friend
–being content with enough.
Those are simply what I wrote on the first two days. My journal provides enough space for me to write three things for each day, but sometimes I squeeze in more than three things. Reflecting on how important learning to practice gratitude has been for me, I am remembering my friend who gave me my first journal. She died several years ago, but she remains high on my gratitude list. Looking back over the years, I have had so many good friends who have shaped my life.
I turned the page of my gratitude journal and read: “In ordinary life, we hardly realize that we receive a great deal more than we give, and that it is only with gratitude that life becomes rich.” Dietrich Bonhoeffer
I have to stop and reflect on his words, acknowledging his wisdom. We experience so many blessings each and every day that we simply take for granted, assuming that they will be there and consequently do not garner a line in our gratitude journals. But it is the little things that make life worth living, not the exceptional aha moments, which are indeed wonderful, though rare.
I recall a friend who had worked in Jordan back in the early 1960’s. Even then the issues facing Israel and Palestine seemed overwhelming, but he approached his job with optimism and hope. “When I get discouraged, “ he’d say, “I remind myself that every insurmountable problem is actually made up of lots of little problems, some of which I can actually do something about.”
It’s the same with gratitude. When we teach ourselves to recognize and acknowledge all the little things that comprise our days with gratitude, we have the energy to address the bigger things that require thought, stamina, and fortitude. Consequently, life unfolds in front of us like an ever-flowing stream.