I have been indulging in life this year. Not the kind of indulgence where you eat rich, spend lots, and party til the sun don’t shine. The kind where you hold onto whatever comes your way and sap out every morsel of meaning and magic you can.
What I have held onto…
There was a birth in my circle of friends followed by lots of time with the baby, funny faces, kisses on the bottom of the feet, adventures in diaper changing, and those magical moment when you help the little one find his way to slumber land.
There have been illnesses: calls in the middle of the night, quick trips to the hospital, surgeries and moments where we didn’t know if this loved one or that was moving closer to or further from death.
There have been second chances: a heart made new, whispered I’m Sorry’s, choked up Thank You’s, hope for the rest of a new life given.
And there have been last chances: families and friends drawing close to squeeze out every last bit of loveliness life has had to offer, pulling up memories of the great times, letting go of the worst, counting breaths and pills, holding a hand, stroking a furrowed brow, and in the end inviting the letting-go.
There have been celebrations….of the birth, the play, the renewal, the life well-lived.
In each of these threads of existence, I have looked for the gift. That is the lesson I chose to learn this year, taking GIFT on as my word for 2013. It is easy to look for the gifts in the places where celebration is the norm, but when life gets difficult and emotions are tender, being grateful and turning your eyes towards the positive takes some dedication.
And yet, that is where I am. It doesn’t come automatically though. I am choosing to shift my perspective. The more I do it, the easier it is for me to understand HOW I am doing it. That HOW is what I want to share with you next week. Until then, I invite you to look for the gifts the difficult might have to share with you. You just might be surprised at how much of life has something valuable tucked inside it.
Before you leave: Check Out Angels In My Studio…the e-course
Starts soon….would love to take it with you!
