Feeling grateful in Wildwood, NJ September 2020

Be Grateful for What you Have!

“Gratitude turns what we have into enough.” Melody Beattie

Still searching for that idyllic life (i.e. 3-bedroom, 3-bath condo complete with ocean view?) No, this isn’t an advertisement courtesy of your local realtor/dream provider. If we do indeed create our own reality, as those Law of Attraction folks would have us believe, then our dreams, or rather the realization of our dreams, is just a thought away. What are you dreaming about? While one person fantasizes about mansions on mountaintops, another wishes for fame and fortune, still another may just want a new wardrobe, dependable car, an endless supply of Starbucks coffee, their dream job or a sweet little cottage by the sea. While our thoughts may not literally manifest our reality, they certainly offer us a comforting reality break. I mean, we can’t achieve it if we don’t first think it, right?

Before purchasing that “winning” lottery ticket to achieve all our hearts’ desire, perhaps we need to consider what it takes to create pure contentment. Is it more stuff? Do we really need all that much to be happy? Do we stop enough on that Dream Tour to consider all that we already have? When are we our happiest, when we’re in the metaphoric future wishing for more or when we’re appreciating the here and now and all it offers?

While “prime beachfront property” sounds like the path to pure joy for many of us, we can certainly appreciate the detours we take in getting there, or anywhere, for that matter (yes, it really is the journey not the destination). We may never realize those dreams but they sure do make life sweeter.

Now, as we journey into a beautiful spring season, let’s take a moment to appreciate all that we have…a sunrise is for everyone, no matter their economic status, a sunny walk is sure to lift a dark spirit and a sunset is certain to reach even the gloomiest of souls. We just have to look for the good to realize how much good there really is and by doing so create our own little versions of Heaven on Earth (lottery ticket optional).

Happy Spring, by land or by sea…