I don’t like to worry. It bothers me when I do it. And it really bothers me when other people do it.
I realize the futility of worry. I understand that it actually sickens the body. I know that it never leads to the outcome I desire.
And yet…
I recently spent the better part of a week in full-blown worry. (Some people around me might have called it panic.)
I consistently took positive action – researching, planning, and strategizing. I tried to stay reasonable, keep my head on straight and not devolve into an irrational blathering mess. I was not completely successful.
I prepared for the worst, which, thankfully did not happen.
The issue for which I had been preparing resolved itself. The tension I had been holding in my body that whole week, which had been preventing me from sleeping, eating properly and thinking clearly, dropped so quickly that I sat down on my living room couch and woke up four hours later.
Of course, in retrospect, I could see how silly it all was, and how I wasted those days of my precious life.
It’s commonly accepted that faith is the remedy to worry. That doesn’t actually sit so well with me. I have no doubt I live in a benevolent universe, and that everything that happens is for my best good. (Does this sound impossible?? Let’s talk.) But relying on nothing but faith feels a bit… airy. I’m looking for solid ground.
Which is why another practice fits the bill. Gratitude is the grandmother of all healing. ANY negative emotion or experience (anger, despair, resentment, fear, etc…) can be dissolved by the application of gratitude (in the same way darkness is effortlessly dispelled by light).
How can I be grateful for something that caused me pain? Because I got to feel it.
- I got to experience a peak human sensation, courtesy of a heart, nervous system and brain that are still doing their jobs
- I received the gift of care from people who love me
- I was reminded of my own strength, resiliency and perseverance
- Feeling anything is better than not, IMHO.
Most importantly… I got to CHOOSE to take the lesson I learned about my place on the path as a divine gift. Yup, I could CHOOSE to be grateful for what happened and how I reacted to it.
Why would I want to do that? Because it seeds my life with beauty, grace and the humility of knowing the frailness of life. At its core, this, my friends, is what gratitude is all about. It is the resistive force against the closing of one’s heart, and the sprinkle of sweetness when bitterness rises. Replacing worry with gratitude is the perfect antacid to the heartburn of life.
Those of us in the US are getting ready to gorge ourselves on food and family. (I’m testing out my new Brussels sprout and sweet potato hash. Yum!) Even if we’re faced with too much of either of those things, let’s not miss the opportunity to grab second or third helpings of gratitude. Goes with everything, and makes everything taste better. Kind of like almond butter.
I am deeply grateful for you. Yes, you. Thought I should let you know.