Dark Eyed Juncos

Gratitude 

‘What do I have to be grateful for?’ you may ask. All right, go ahead and ask. I won’t shoot you down, my answer may surprise you though. You see, I can’t really tell you anything that’s true about you. I could tell what you might want to hear, but it’s probably not necessarily true. Only you hold the key to your truth. I might, however, be able to help you see your truth by sharing my own. 

First of all, gratitude is not some great big thing that will bop you over the head; it’s generally the little things. Things like if your roof leaks, you’re grateful you caught it before the water did even more damage. Or maybe it’s when you get a little ahead financially, and the car needs emergency repairs, you have the funds to do it. On a freezing winter day it could be the beauty of the new fallen snow, or the crystal clarity of the frozen air. 

It’s all about perception and your conscious choice to seek out the beauty in every situation. 

Just before Christmas I was working out doors on a super cold and windy day. I definitely noticed the poor working conditions, but I also noticed a small flock of Dark Eyed Juncos buzzing about the feeder and bushes, keeping me company. 

I also had to get some connectors at the power company, and half way through the job, realized I got the wrong size. I had to go back, through the holiday traffic. When I got there, the woman in engineering said, “You must be mad.” because I had to make another trip. Honestly, being angry was the farthest thing from my mind. Of course I wanted to get the job done, but I looked at the extra trip as a way to get warm. 

I was grateful for the cute birds, and the opportunity to get warm. It’s just how I chose to perceive the situation. 

Some things for which I’m grateful are my wife and children, our city chickens, our parakeets, the natural beauty of my area, the diversity of wildlife in my back yard (today a juvenile Peregrine Falcon eyeing the chickens), having a musical family, and all of my friends. 

Gratitude and Prosperity 

Practicing gratitude can free the mind from cloudy, dark thoughts. That leaves you open for opportunity that you’d otherwise miss. If someone is angry or just looking at the bad in every situation, how can he/she possibly see the opportunity before them? And if you’re going with quantum mechanics, gratitude puts you in synchronicity with abundance. When I finished that job I discussed earlier, my customer complemented my work and paid me in cash…It was another great day! 

Prosperity Tips 

When you wake up in the morning, say out loud “This is a great day! Only the best things come to me today.” 

If several negative things occur, remember they are separate from you. It doesn’t change your great day unless you invite it to. 

If you haven’t already, stare a gratitude journal. Each night before you go to sleep, write three things you’re grateful for that day. You’ll go to sleep with good thoughts running through your mind and you might even dream about some of them. 

In the morning, after your positive affirmation, look at your journal for a moment for some early morning inspiration. 

It’s all up to you. Prosperity doesn’t just happen, we create it. 

Peaceful prosperity; 

Joe