The Courage to Explore Tensions in Gratitude
Perhaps you are going through an upheaval in your life?
What do we to do with this season of festivities, that emphasize thanksgiving and gratitude when we are carrying a bucket full of pain?
Recognize that you have gone through a significant life event.
Give yourself permission to feel your feelings. Sometimes when we are in pain, we may be in the habit of “bouncing” that pain towards someone else by exploding or taking offence.
Find those who have the understanding to support you.
Understand that people around you may not understand your experience. They are often at a loss of how to relate to or support you.
Choose physical and mental practices to help you get through your day like taking a walk, breathing exercises, mantras, scriptures, songs or quotes.
Trust that you will not feel this way forever.
Know that you are capable of feeling more than one feeling at a time.
This has been really helpful for me. When I have been grieving, it is helpful to know that I can also find little glimmers of joy... and this is where we find the balance in the tension of thanksgiving at a time when life may not be making much sense.
I like to think of gratitude as the way I look for the first stars in the sky. At first we strain to see them, and then, gradually they come into focus. The darkest night sky can be alive with the ecstasy of more little stars than we might first imagine. It takes time and effort to look into the darkness and to see what is not
initially clear.
Gratitude is like this. Give it a go. Can you see just one tiny glimmer?
