Grateful Me

"If the only prayer you ever say in your entire life is Thank You, that will be enough" – Meister Eckhart It has been a challenging couple of months. As I welcomed in the summer, taking a little break from backpacking and settling into a sense of routine I found myself feeling completely and totally flat. The distraction of traveling, of waking up and filling my days with solo-adventures, of experiencing a totally different day every day promptly faded into the background. And so the battle began.

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The reality is I'm not floating around India on this blissful bubble of everlasting joy 24/7. That’s the end goal. I’m currently somewhere in the middle. Ok, if I’m being real here, maybe closer to the beginning. And as awesome as this journey has been, I’m only human. I still get sad. I definitely get lonely. I have my days when I spend countless hours in my head wondering “what am I doing with my life?!?”

I won't get into detail about my current situation, but let's just say I've never lived such a simple life, with a routine so monotonous Saturday might as well be Tuesday. It’s all the same damn thing.

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I've been stripped of my sense pleasures, the very things that bring me joy. I have nothing (and I emphasize the word THING) to keep my mind distracted, but I guess that’s the point, huh? To reverse the searchlights and look within for that joy. To not depend on these THINGS to make me happy.

But boy…It. Is. Hard. So. So. Soooooo Hard.

What happened to this "Find the joy within. You have so much happiness within! Everything you need is already within…" thing I keep preaching? It's like I know this, but why don't I KNOW this. And so here I am, being put to the test and disastrously failing.

I was struggling. I am struggling. And I’m bored…out of my mind.

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It wasn’t long before I felt a deep sense of lack. All of my attention was diverted to missing basically everything and anything. My family, my friends, a companion, a tv, green smoothies, taco Tuesdays, a pair of shorts, utensils, my memory foam mattress, dependable wifi, a full length mirror. You name it, I’m missing it.

Here I am, in Incredible India, on a journey of a life-time, spending an exorbitant amount of time, energy and effort focusing on what I’m lacking, what I could use more of, less of, just the right amount of.

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Hmmmm…but this time, the anxiety felt a little different. First of all, I was aware, not that that makes it a whole lot better, but it does slightly ease the pain. Secondly, I had the tools to tackle this in a healthy and loving way. I had my meditation practice.

Yea, I’ve basically been meditating my sorrows away, or at the very least attempting to.

Again…It. Is. Hard. So. So. Sooooooo Hard.

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But you know what’s harder? Not meditating. Not fighting the battle. Letting the battle fight you.

How easy would it be to wallow away in self-pity as I scarf down my favorite pint of Ben & Jerry's (Brownie Batter Core has been a dear friend indeed), call my mom and whine my life away (I'm sure my mom appreciates the soothing sound of my high-pitched complaining cry), then turn on the TV and mindlessly watch re-runs of bad reality to numb the pain (Real Housewives of Atlanta makes me forget I'm alive).

Sure it feels good at the moment, but it's a habit I'm working really hard to break (and not to mention I don't really have those options easily available right now). So I've been forced to learn a valuable lesson. I've come to learn that's not where the magic happens. That's not where the transformation occurs. That's not where your light shines.

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And I desperately need to turn on that light and leave it on. For it was that very light that shed some much needed light on what I was really missing. And here's the thing, the only thing I was really lacking was an attitude of gratitude.

So I said Thank You, a sincere and heart-felt thank you. I meant it. And everything changed.

I mean, my situation didn’t change. Saturday definitely still felt like Tuesday. But I changed the way I reacted to my situation, I changed my attitude, so therefore everything around me suddenly changed.

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If you also want things to change in your life, here is a gentle reminder…

To give thanks, to whoever or whatever. To God, to the Universe, to yourSelf. Say thank You for anything really. Thank You for life. Thank You for human life. Thank You for breath. Thank you for chai (seriously, it’s up there with breath and life). Thank You for making me a part of Your divine plan, for including me, using me, loving me endlessly. Thank You for my unique personality, my unique face, my unique soul. Thank You for making only 1 of me. Thank You for the highs. Thank you for the lows and for giving me the power to overcome them and the wisdom to grow from them. Thank You for the neutral in between. Thank You for simplicity. Thank You for spontaneity. Thank You for the path, this special path you have laid out just for me. Thank You for bringing me the most incredible support system, for showing me the true meaning of unconditional love through my family, friends and kind strangers.

Thank you for reminding me to say thank you.

You get the jist.

And I know this like I've never known anything else. Thank You are two words that will change your life.

Change. Your. Life.

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If you want things to change, stop trying to change your environment. Put down the Ben & Jerry's, the phone, the remote and reverse the searchlights. Introduce a new remedy by simply going within and invite the energy of gratitude. Yes, I promise you it is that simple. More shows up when you're grateful for what you already have.

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Not only will gratitude carry you to a place of deep peace, but it’ll open your heart in the most beautiful loving way. And when your heart is open and gratitude is flowing freely, an abundance of everything you need will naturally flow right back to you. It’s the law of nature. Give and you shall receive.

Give thanks for what you already have and you shall receive even more to be thankful for.

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The number one, most powerful thing you can do to create change in your life right now is to say Thank You.

Gratitude is my prayer. Grateful me. Grateful you.

Thank You! Thank you! THANK YOU!!!!

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“It’s not happy people who are grateful. It’s grateful people who are happy.”