Gratitude and Lessons

I guess part of being able to look at life's challenges with an optimistic attitude is by developing gratitude for what's happening in our lives. I know it sounds cliche, but the best way to get through a tough time is to look for the deeper lesson. That lesson may only be to learn how to be angry without hurting others, but it will have an impact on how you live. About 25 years ago, I used to live near a guy who always said, "the Spirit will test you, but never let you fall." To this day, when I find myself slipping into a pessimistic, poor-me attitude, I remind myself of his words. It doesn't solve the problem, but it brings me back to a problem solving mode instead of wallowing.

So, you may ask yourself, where does the gratitude part come in? I believe as Pierre Teillhard de Chardin puts it that "...we are spiritual beings having a human experience..." Each time we are faced with life as a human, we should embrace it! It's what we came here to do. Everyday, I'm grateful that I am alive, that I can interact with others, that I can learn something new, and maybe help someone else to learn something. How can I serve? What can my grateful attitude bring to the world?

Once I think about what I'm grateful for, the "problem" usually seems smaller and I can deal with it. Lessons allow us to be grateful - kind of a circular pattern when you think about it. Gratitude -> lessons -> gratitude -> lessons, and so on...

Thank the Universe EVERY day that you are alive and being human!