In addition to pumpkin pies, turkey of the meat and non-meat variation and my personal favorites, cranberry sauce and mashed potatoes gratitude has become a staple of the Thanksgiving tradition.
Especially in the yoga community.
Classes repping “gratitude flows” flood studio schedules faster than you can say downward facing dog.
Families go around dinner tables naming treasures that have graced their lives.
Sweetness fills the air and it’s a mix of gratitude, crescent rolls and pie.
In some ways I find this beautiful but often it kind of annoys me.
And hey, I’m not saying I’ve never done it. Totally have. So yes, sometimes I annoy myself.
While it is lovely to take a moment to be in gratitude for the blessings your life has afforded you I take issue with the fact that it’s one day.
Be grateful every day. Let that shit spread out and don’t keep it sequestered to once a year.
But last Monday I stumbled upon Ariana Grande’s new song Thank You, Next and it inspired me to write a post about gratitude.
But with a twist.
What do you think about when someone asks you what you are grateful for? Most of the time it’s the dope stuff in our lives: our loves, our friends, our family, our basic needs being met, the sweet moments that delight us, a kick ass creative project we love, those new boots that are gorgeous.
So in other words, most often we are grateful for the positive stuff.
But in reality the stuff that really encourages us to grow, to push our edges, to get honest, to get raw, to be vulnerable, to heal like never before isn’t the positive stuff. It’s the stuff that breaks our hearts. The moments that scare the shit out of us. The loss. The pain. The sorrow. So often THIS is where the magic lies.
Coming off a recent breakup that cracked me wide open in ways that are still making themselves known to me, this song really spoke to me. Sure it’s simple but in that simplicity it’s profound.
Just because something ends- a marriage, a relationship, a job- doesn’t mean it was a failure. So often we move into defense mode and turn towards hating the things we once deeply loved just because it’s easier than facing the pain.
But what if we remember that the pain we feel for a loss or a challenge is because of the love that is on the other side of that?
So this year, I’m grateful for the moments that have challenged me, broken my heart and caused me to dive so deeply into myself that I couldn’t help but remember who I am and what I am capable of.
What challenges are you grateful for? Let me know in the comments below or message me.