"just" another day????

It always cracks me up when I hear this phrase: "it's just another day". It epitomizes just how little some folks value the gift of another day. I'm guessing that were those same people to have some kind of terminal dis-ease, they'd change their attitude zippity-quick. I'm guessing that these very same people are the ones who rarely (if ever) take time to smell the roses or watch a sunrise or listen to children laughing in the park. The ones who dash around in a frenzy, and then wonder why they're so miserably exhausted. So sad.

As many who read here know, I tend to touch on gratitude often. It is a main-stay in both my writings and my life. It is my grace. I believe gratitude, true appreciation for our gifts, blessings, love, etc., is the most powerful remedy for all that ails you. It is through my own experiences with (feelings of) gratitude that some of the most exquisite miracles have occurred in my life. Gratitude has swept me out of pain into ease. It has turned fear into hope. Tears to laughter. Misery to joy. Gratitude is the Ultimate Elixir.

Just the other day I had an experience that reminded me, once more, just how hard gratitude is for some. A friend of mine, who wields guilt like a sword, called to chastise me for a birthday gift I'd left for him. It wasn't anything huge; just a little 'something' to celebrate his presence on the planet. He has this "rule": NO PRESENTS. Not for birthdays. Not for Christmas. Not for NOTHIN'. BUT...that's HIS rule, not mine. So, when he called to give me crap for having given him this little gift, he began with "you're breaking the rules. you're not supposed to give me gifts." Of course, being the sassy-ass that I am, I responded with, "those are YOUR rules, Bonehead. Don't tell ME what to do.I'll give gifts to whomever I wish. Besides, who the hell are you to deny me my joys?"

I gotta say, that one got him. For a few seconds he had no response. Then, as usual, he began to launch into his pathetic guilt trip (the one he was trying to get me to take). I immediately interrupted him and simply said, "you know, I realize it's a challenge for you, but perhaps you might consider just saying 'thank you' and enjoy the goodies. Wouldn't THAT be fun?"

It struck me at that moment just how sad it is for those who have no idea what gratitude is. How some people are so mired in their past and their obvious self-loathing to really know how gratitude FEELS. Perhaps they were reared with parents who never showed appreciation in any form. Perhaps they are afraid that they'll be obligated to respond in kind. Or perhaps it is merely a deep-seeded fear that stops them from going there at all. I'm not sure, and I'm really trying my best not to judge here. (not doing such a good job with that, huh?) but whatever the case may be, I do know one thing for certain:

Gratitude is a marvelous feeling. It can change your world in a second. It can lift you up from the deepest, darkest places and replace the ugliest feelings with the very best high. Better than champagne. Better than whiskey. Better than even the best sex (holycrap! really????) Yep. Really.

There is no such thing as "just another day" in my world. EVERY day is a treasure to me. Every single day that I wake up and see the sky is another opportunity for me to learn and grow and share and love. Even when there are challenges, or pains, or great losses, there is always hope for more good. Gratitude begets gratitude. The more grateful we are, the more we have to be grateful for. It's just the way the Universe works. You don't have to believe me. You can try it for yourself. The next time you hit a wall, take a moment to STOP. Think about something, ANYTHING, that you can be grateful for...even if it's 'merely' the next breath you get to breathe. You are alive. You are (probably) well-fed and clothed and living under some semblance of shelter. If that's not enough, then...I guess it would be 'just another day' to you. I pray you will find a way to give thanks every single day...and smile at this gift of "just another day".