What are we grateful for? Let us count the ways. Dear dishes, sorry, we didn’t count you.

I used to have my clients spend one group session making a list of 100 things they’re grateful for which at first felt impossible and they probably thought I was a sadist. Have you even been listening to how awful my life has been lately and you want me to do what?!

What they didn’t know was I was doing the exercise a few times a week to help keep my own perceptive alignment straight. Grief, Terror, Shame and a belief in Lack will stuff you in a van and steal your life if you don’t shove a love wedge under the wheels, kick the doors open, rip off the pillow case and run towards the light. Grief, Terror, Shame and Lack will probably run after you in black hoodies but just throw some M&M’s at them and tell them to f%*@ off. It’s a very fancy clinical intervention that seems to have a high success rate.

Once we got started something would click; the world’s definitions of enough disappeared while our definitions of more than enough grew longer.

We were grateful for our lunch, for each other, for the ocean which was right across the street, for our clothes, senses, Twinkies, Mountain Dew, a furry friend, coffee, a day without hallucinations, pain or panic attacks. Sure, a lifetime without pain would be amazing but if we can get a day and realize it’s happening, thanks! Back then, any day my guts weren’t wrenching like a rip tide was cause for celebration (with soupy polenta and a nice cup of ginger tea).

What’s the point? Being happy with what we have right now is very practical magic.

ps: I have a call scheduled with a potential publishing lead on Monday.

pps: shout out to all you Faithful Gardeners

Plant lavishly-2 Corinthians 9

12 thoughts on “100 Seeds”

  3. Burst out laughing at this: ” … Sure, a lifetime without pain would be amazing but if we can get a day and realize it’s happening, thanks.”

    And now I know what those lurking ‘monsters’ are called: ” … Grief, Terror, Shame and Lack will probably run after you in black hoodies … ” it reminds of an artwork I made from my imagination about two decades ago. It does take long sometimes for answers to pitch up doesn’t it? – thanks!!

    and – I truly hope the call to or from the agent is successful!

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