As I watered our outdoor flowers yesterday evening, I felt like a fascinated child as I created rainbows with the water. I didn't go out with the intention of doing this. I just happened to glimpse a rainbow in the spraying water that disappeared as quickly as it appeared. So I started playing with the water, shifting it until it caught the light of the setting sun in just the perfect way to create a rainbow. And I smiled--ahh, simple pleasures.
So this morning I'm thinking about how much joy and beauty we can create in our lives by just a simple shift--a shift in our mind, our thoughts. Transformation in our lives begins within. I'm recognizing that if I rely on my outer circumstances to create my inner state, then I subject myself to an endless rollercoaster ride of ups and downs. But if I shift my focus to all I am grateful for in life, to joy and love, not only do my outer circumstances begin to reflect that, but I also find a deeper strength to walk through the challenging times.
Some days, finding those things I'm grateful for are more difficult than others so I rely on the basics--oxygen, nature, car, house, health. For a while, I kept a gratitude journal--listing 5 things at the end of each day I was grateful for. Or I'll keep a stone in my pocket--a gratitude stone--so each time I sense it or feel it, I think of something (or someone!) I'm grateful for. My husband has started a new tradition at dinner--last night, as we were eating, he asked "so what was good that happened for you today?" So me, Ron, and Gram enjoyed our meal talking about the positive things we felt in our lives that day. Sometimes it's not that the "negative" doesn't exist; it's not about denying it or resisting it. It's simply a choice of where to place our focus. We're choosing to cultivate the energy of joy so it's light may illuminate the darkness.
