Being Grateful - Nov 1st

 

It is the first day of November, a month of change and transition. A month in which many people celebrate the holiday of Thanksgiving. It is a time that usually includes pondering personal blessings deserving of gratitude. I was thinking about the concept of gratitude when it occurred to me there are blessings I commonly overlook. Things I would certainly miss yet scarcely give much thought. My goal this November is to share daily one typically-ignored blessing for which I am truly thankful.

Nov. 1st:

I am grateful for the ability to stop and start most anything at will. It seems an odd thought, perhaps, yet consider how awful it would be to lack the capacity to start a behavior or end a behavior when you wanted very much to do so.

 

Imagine whistling without the power to cease until someone closed your mouth. Or gripping a pencil but lacking the power to write until someone pinched your hand. More relatable examples might be these: the ability to start a new life; the ability to stop a harmful habit; the ability to start a new talent; the ability to stop a hurtful rumor; the ability to start a friendship; the ability to stop a biased tradition.

 

I am grateful that I can start new things I deem worthy of my energy and attention while at the same time possess the power to put a stop to unwanted behaviors. It is a blessing of agency, strength, and courage. And I am indeed grateful for it.

 

November 2nd