NEW WEBSITE!

I INVITE YOU TO BECOME A REGULAR AT MY WEBSITE.
WWW.YOURJOYOLOGIST.COM

Saturday, January 2, 2010

Grateful!

Last night at the New Year's party I attended we all went around and stated what we are grateful for. We filled the room, making sure every person went, even as more and more kept walking in the door. As a group we were committed to hearing what each other were grateful for in that moment. There were quite a few of us there. So it took over an hour to hear from each one. It was so amazing to watch and listen to each person, young and old, pause and voice his or her gratitude. This is a practice that I am now used to and I am so grateful for that! Everything that is said is applauded, appreciated, acknowledged and mirrored into my own life. When the turn was mine, I said I am grateful for life, and the fact that I get to choose it every moment of everyday. And I so get that, and I am grateful that this is the way I choose to see life.

Today, I set out to visit an amazing friend in Joshua Tree. The first step was to get a ride from Encinitas to the San Diego airport, as those are the only rental locations open on New Years Day. I had just returned another friends' car to her the night before that she had let me borrow for a month while she was away. I am so overcome with gratitude for her and her sweet little hybrid car! She even offered to let me keep it for my last week in town, but I decided it would be a more suitable choice to rent a car. She loves her bike and plans on sticking to it this week, but I kept feeling that I better rent a car.

I am grateful that I have the will to make requests of my friends and know that is perfect if they say no, too. I am grateful for the friend that drove out of her way to pick me up and take me to get my rental and I am so grateful for the time that we spent together on that car ride south. I am head over heals in love with the Prius, but since I am no longer making an income, I opted for the cheap "mid-size" class car deal that I found. $45 a day vs. $11 a day was actually a really hard choice for me, but I gave in and chose the cheap deal. I signed the paperwork and the agent handed me the keys to my least favorite car!!!!!! An old roommate of mine had owned one of these cars, and it continuously was in the shop after being purchased brand new. I know that can happen with even the most luxurious of all cars, but I just really don't like this model!

I sucked it up and pulled onto the 5 north and as I was telling myself how much I hated the car, I realized how grateful I was to be driving any car at all. Grateful to be able to afford it, grateful to have a license, etc. etc. Then I got how grateful I was for all the cars I had driven previous to this one that had set my standards so high. I also reasoned with myself that this car must be good practice for India, shifting from luxury hotels and vehicles to a different type of comfort.

As I drove on, starting my mini road-trip, so much came up for me that I am grateful for. I thought back to the previous night and how much I loved every moment of it and not just the parts when I was laughing and being reunited with old friends, but also the parts when I was feeling awkward wondering if a "New Year's kiss" was going to happen and when the girl that had drank a little too much was trying to tell me the same story over and over again. I love it all. I am grateful for it all. Each moment is mine, and I get to make up whatever I want about it and then I can forget it too, because really what does it mean? And what does it matter? Does it matter if my version is right? No. Does it matter if your version is right? Nope. But, what is awesome is that I have this moment right here, and it really doesn't have to have anything to do with that moment I just had. If I did not like something when I was 11 years old, or 18 years old, that doesn't mean that I have to not like it right now. I can choose again. I might have even not appreciated something 20 minutes ago, and suddenly be in love with it now.

After a good bout of reflection, I was up for some music. I had grabbed the two CDs I had purchased on my last road trip to bring along for the ride and opened up the case to one to put it in. I attempted to slid the CD into the slot and it was not being received. I thought maybe someone had left a CD in there, but nothing came out with the eject and the screen flashed no CD. So, I tried again but the player was not allowing my disc in. I was in the mountains at this point in my drive and no radio was coming in. I even have a FM transmitter for my ipod, but could not get a clean signal to use. So, I chose silence. It may not have been a split second choice. It came after multiple attempts at my 3 audio options, but I did choose silence, instead of choosing to be angry at the broken CD deck. I am incredibly grateful that I have learned that skill. The skill to accept what is and then take it farther and choose what is.

It's life! Isn't it grand! And it's all mine!

5 comments:

  1. I'm grateful for read this kind of thoughts!

    ReplyDelete
  2. I too am grateful for this post! I am also grateful for the beautiful hot sunny weather today, for my wonderful family and friends that love me and for the clean safe place in which I live.
    2010 is the year for spreading love and being loved and recognising how lucky I am.

    Thanks for the boost this morning xo

    ReplyDelete
  3. I am grateful for gratitude! It makes me feel all happy inside :)

    ReplyDelete
  4. I will be referring back to this post many times, I can tell. It is so wonderful! Thanks so much!

    ReplyDelete
  5. Dear Tricia,
    You don't know me but I stumbled across your lovely blog through Jason's. I hope you don't mind me making a comment here but I really love your blog and it resonate with me very strongly.. I have just been in India for 4 months, travelling and doing some volunteer work so if you'd like any advice on anything, I'd love to be of service.

    Also a project I thought you might be interested in.. GlobalCleanWater.org which a friend who I met through others in India started, he is going to do a launch of a children's album and education program on water conservation in San Diego and Mumbai, India on March 22nd 2010. He needs all the help he can get and I believe you have a lot of skills that would be really useful to him.. so please check out the site and email him at GlobalCleanWater@gmail.com.. Would be great if you could help on the organisational side in India.. I'll be helping on the SD side.

    Big blessings for your upcoming travel, India is magical and maddening, and I'm sure you will find so much joy there and explore your deeper self even deeper!

    Lots of Peace and Love
    Miin

    ReplyDelete