A Wholesome Note On This Easter Sunday: Being Thankful For The Thunderstorm
I got right with myself when I started giving thanks.
Not that I was ever one to ask “why me?” when things weren’t going the way I hoped they would. I never felt unappreciative. I’ve always recognized how blessed I am to have grown up in a comfortable home, food on the table, with two present parents, and to have received a quality public school education.
At my lowest, while the self-hatred is boiling and the way I’m talking to myself is abhorrent and repulsive, I’ve found that giving thanks for this “suffering” (using that word lightly in a first world predicament) and finding appreciation for the current challenge will bring parting clouds and sunlight to the storm. It’s not necessarily about being thankful for the hardships you’re enduring, but those troubles do confirm that you’re alive on this planet and a part of its ecosystem.
You belong.
There’s a lot of words to choose from while going through a tough time, but sometimes these two are the two most important, “THANK YOU”.
Being extra thankful for the shower you can take and the food you can eat, and especially for the people you can reach out to and say hi.
That’s the juice.
In case you forgot, there’s a whole list of people the size of your arm that you have already forgot about that you could likely send a “hey what’s going on” message and they’d be happy to see your name pop up on their phone. You may think there’s not, but if you go through your phone, your social media, your old address book, your memory… I promise you’ll find a long list of people who would welcome a “hello” message from you.
This wholesome little note here is obviously inspired by Easter. Whether you’re Christian, Jewish, Muslim, Buddhist, Atheist, etc… it’s historically accepted that a man named Jesus died on the cross. He did so in the name of God and for the sins of man.
So you have to ask yourself, “is what I’m dealing with really so bad?”
Maybe instead of being frustrated, petty, and mad at the world, I could give thanks for the opportunity to better my situation, to live this life, and to appreciate all that I get to experience today.
