I do not believe I take it for granted living near the ocean and close to many things like Boston, NH, Maine and CT. I also live close to an airport and train system. NYC is not far away either. I also liked this state knowing I woould live close to hospitals and specialists if needed.
Gone are the days
of taking just about everything for granted . . .
i don’t know if a thinking person
can not at least have an inkling
of the absolute magical world we live in.
Every child asks,
‘who made the grass?’
‘where did I come from?’
‘why is the sky blue?’
‘Is blue the same for me
as it is for you?’
Maybe we forget as we get older
and often jaded
to the mysteries of the planet.
Other things
grab our attention . . .
teenagers of the opposite sex,
or of the same sex,
money,
styles,
peer acceptance,
future careers,
loves me loves me not.
A mish mash embroils us
in its kettle like lobsters
and if we are lucky enough,
we climb out
before we’re trapped.
As I’ve gotten older though,
I’ve experienced enough
to know a few things . . .
1. that good health is not to be taken lightly
2. we need others in our lives
3. money doesn’t grow on trees
4. we don’t get everything
we feel we’re entitled to,
but more than we deserve
5.if we put up a parking lot,
we will suddenly miss paradise
(which we took for granted all along)
Whenever I feel sorry for myself
I am taking something for granted,
and it’s signal to me
to look around
and see the vast array of abundance in my life. ♥
” ‘is the blue the same for me as it is for you?’ ” I have always wondered that dear Sparrow. We know what we see and call it blue, for that we have been told, and all recognize this name for that color. But do we really all see the same thing?
I try to remember to be grateful, and I am grateful for so much, my ability to walk, exercise, strengthen my body, and breathe fully. I have so much. But still I take things for granted. Everything really, my car, food, water, my home, people I love, and my beloved rascally cats.
I think that there are levels of gratefulness. If I was fully grateful at all times I would be euphoric, not that feeling euphoric is a bad thing, far from it. If I was completely ungrateful, I would be miserable, because nothing would please me.
So my point is that being grateful is a choice. Still, gratefulness seems to come to some people more easily than it comes to others. Some people just have the tendency to be melancholic, others tend toward joyfulness. I see myself as having both tendencies. It’s just like mental health or happiness; I dare say most of us are somewhere in the middle, and as my husband often says about areas in which I am trying to grow, it’s not a contest, Mary. So my journey in life includes my ability to recognize all that I have and being grateful in response to all of it. Remembering to be grateful is enhanced and flows from being mindful. So it’s about mindfulness. I think that is where my focus could best serve me.
So what am I taking for granted? That’s not really the issue for me. I would like to focus and grow in the area of awareness. I already want to be grateful. I just have to remember. Mindfulness can gently take me there.
The yoga yama I spent time writing about this morning is brahmacharya, energy management. The root words give this the meaning “movement toward truth.” Skill in Action author Michelle Cassandra Johnson asks us to think about how much space we take up, how our energy affects others, especially if we’re someone whose freedom to move, act and speak isn’t questioned or judged.
For years I took for granted my social location that gives me access with safety. I’ve spoken up freely, not recognizing that I might be taking space from others. I learned to recognize the ways in which I have freedom to speak and that I can use my freedom to amplify someone else’s voice who doesn’t always have the same ease or space.
Now I’m not the first one to speak in a room. I invite people who haven’t spoken to voice their thoughts if they’d like to, prioritizing those whose lives are furthest from justice and access. I work hard not to take my privilege for granted and instead to make it a platform for others to rise.
As a woman I certainly encountered spaces that didn’t invite me or make me feel free to speak, but my white skin gives me social advantages because of the deep and unjust structures of American society. I can’t take those advantages for granted; when I do, I perpetuate systemic injustice.
Some of Johnson’s questions:
– How do you inhabit space?
– How much space do you feel entitled to take up?
– How might the way you use your energy and manage your senses affect others, especially in situations where you hold privilege?
I love your sensitivity to those whose voices are not often heard.
“I work hard not to take my privilege for granted and instead to make it a platform for others to rise.
Great sensitivity, insight, and love in action, Barb.
Many things. I think mostly is that I have a family and circle of friends that care for me and are present for me when Im in need. I am lucky to have a network of people to fall back on.
Air conditioning in this record breaking heat we’ve been experiencing. The Council on Aging gets several calls a week from folks who need fans, folks who can’t afford air conditioning and if they had it, couldn’t pay the electric bill to keep it running.
This is the only place I’ve ever lived,
dear Carol Ann,
that has a couple of window air conditioners,
so I can’t take them for granted.
With the extreme heat these last few years
it would have been unbearable.
And to think,
when I lived in Arizona
I had a swamp cooler,
which felt like living in a damp cave.
The cost of running these things
and for heating fuel this winter
will surely be a test for us all. ♥
That brief glimpse of time when the house smells like fresh coffee, silence punctuated by the dog’s breathing, clouds still clearing from our brains, trees and flowers outside vibrant in the morning light, a time before the heat of the day and of thought has stumbled in. A precious and cool time.
The quote reminds me of Drea’s saying imagine that things are one step worse and how you would be grateful for your current state.
I don’t realize the help that is out there, including professional. Unfortunately I go it alone and get overwhelmed. I don’t want to give you a litany of my woes. I’m beginning to see how I cause many of my own difficulties. It’s a fruitful row to hoe and I will pursue it.
As one who has tried going it alone,
dear Christina,
I not only don’t recommend it,
but can tell you for sure,
that it is lonely
and detrimental to your health.
People do like to help.
Ask. ♥
Christina, I think we’re taught to go it alone, and hitting a threshold with that is really healthy. I hope your pursuit leads to new discoveries and lots of friendship and camaraderie.
Of course, as I go about my day, I tend to get lost in the moment to moment stuff and forget about how extraordinary all of this is. And it’s usually in the absence of something or by listening or reading about other’s experiences that I am reminded of all of the gifts that I have and the miracle that I’m here at all. It’s when I can pause for a moment, that all the gifts become apparent.
Something that benefits me in my everyday life but I’m not aware of… maybe my ability to sing. That gift from God helps me express my feelings when I’m happy, as well as during moments when words can’t even describe my emotions.
NGOC, I relate. Though my voice is no longer there, it sustained me for many, many years. What is there now are precious memories when my singing voice not only helped me but helped others. Keep singing. It is such a precious gift.
My Ngoc, you with singing is like me with piano. Keeping a low profile can easily be misunderstood as underestimating ourselves. Those around us raised hope in us. Again, it all boils down to WHO we know, not WHAT we know.
I’m grateful for my 1914 house. I know the detached garage needs painting and numerous other projects need work. And I recall how hard my mom worked as a single mom to keep the roof over our heads with 5 kids. there’s so many homeless here in twin cities that I see daily. When I learned I was only the second generation home owner, it jostled my view of my family and financial assumptions I’ve made about my kin. Peace to all and blessings on however you lodge. ☮️🌻
Paw Mu’s system and mine appear similar on the surface. I often get carried away with my business ventures that I forget where I come from which is emphasized in the PM system. We’re suppose to prioritize roots over ratings, but there are many times where I’ve ended doing the opposite before.
Yes! When I broke my elbow a few years ago and couldn’t zip my own pants, that was quite a wake-up. It was my left elbow and I’m right-handed. I hadn’t realized how much I counted on arm #2.
Thank you for asking, Mary. It’s much better, though it’s settled into a new shape–one just good enough to play piano with. Trying to stretch out that scar tissue till the end of the year, then I’ll see what I’ve got for life (or for a future surgery, but that is reallllly unappealing, hand recovery is slow and painful.)
When I first read the question, I was like, “I don’t take anything for granted.” But then I read your responses, and know that I definitely do… clean water, hot showers, air conditioning, being able to dress the way I want to and walk down the street, having plenty of food. I am reminded of a lady who was in a woman’s group I went to after I left my ex. We were talking about gratitude one day, and she said that if you couldn’t think of anything to be grateful for that you should be grateful for toilet paper 🧻 I have a lot to be grateful for, but I will never forget that!
Today is my last studio work day. Lots of endings this week. Taught my last Vinyasa and Deep Stretch classes at the fitness center yesterday and got very emotional at the end of vinyasa. Silly me read a Rumi quote about goodbyes and I just couldn’t stop the tears. Each person in there was a regular and I love them all so much. They have all touched my heart, and I carry them there forever 💖
Goodbyes are so very difficult but your new location sounds wonderful and you will bgin new relationships with new customers and hopefully you will be very happy and settled in the days to come 🌞✨
The early months of the pandemic should have taught all of us to be grateful for toilet paper! I too, thought of the basics that aren’t available to everyone and that I’ve had all my life.
Wishing you the best on. your new chapter, Sunnypatti! It sounds like you poured your heart into the chapter that is now closing, and are going into this new chapter with an open heart too. That’s beautiful and brave.
Sunnypatti, it’s those basic needs that often get overlooked. Self-actualization is my level of needs in Maslow’s hierarchy of needs. It’s why I talk about my business ventures the way MJ talks about his golf courses. Greed is the main drawback. Competition and greed look similar. When it’s working, it’s the former. When it works against us, it’s the ladder. Being a competitor myself got me into business ventures as well. Sports and business are closely related. When I was little, I was into more of the pure sports. The older, I’ve become more interested in the business side of things. I use sports for business just like piano for living a laid back lifestyle.
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The privilege of having choices and support. And a calm, safe home.
I do not believe I take it for granted living near the ocean and close to many things like Boston, NH, Maine and CT. I also live close to an airport and train system. NYC is not far away either. I also liked this state knowing I woould live close to hospitals and specialists if needed.
Yes! Lots to be grateful for. Especially living near the ocean! And living near NYC! Wow.
Gone are the days
of taking just about everything for granted . . .
i don’t know if a thinking person
can not at least have an inkling
of the absolute magical world we live in.
Every child asks,
‘who made the grass?’
‘where did I come from?’
‘why is the sky blue?’
‘Is blue the same for me
as it is for you?’
Maybe we forget as we get older
and often jaded
to the mysteries of the planet.
Other things
grab our attention . . .
teenagers of the opposite sex,
or of the same sex,
money,
styles,
peer acceptance,
future careers,
loves me loves me not.
A mish mash embroils us
in its kettle like lobsters
and if we are lucky enough,
we climb out
before we’re trapped.
As I’ve gotten older though,
I’ve experienced enough
to know a few things . . .
1. that good health is not to be taken lightly
2. we need others in our lives
3. money doesn’t grow on trees
4. we don’t get everything
we feel we’re entitled to,
but more than we deserve
5.if we put up a parking lot,
we will suddenly miss paradise
(which we took for granted all along)
Whenever I feel sorry for myself
I am taking something for granted,
and it’s signal to me
to look around
and see the vast array of abundance in my life. ♥
I always appreciate your reflections, Sparrow. ‘Whenever I feel sorry for myself
I am taking something for granted’
Namaste,
dear Misty . . . ♥
🙏🏻
” ‘is the blue the same for me as it is for you?’ ” I have always wondered that dear Sparrow. We know what we see and call it blue, for that we have been told, and all recognize this name for that color. But do we really all see the same thing?
A question for the ages,
dear Joseph . . . ♥
?
And I have always wondered does an olive taste the same to me as it does to you?🌺
🙂
maybe this is why colors also go with emotions – red = anger blue = cold etc.
🙂
Sparrow and Joseph, I have wondered this too. 🩵
🙂 🙂 🙂
I try to remember to be grateful, and I am grateful for so much, my ability to walk, exercise, strengthen my body, and breathe fully. I have so much. But still I take things for granted. Everything really, my car, food, water, my home, people I love, and my beloved rascally cats.
I think that there are levels of gratefulness. If I was fully grateful at all times I would be euphoric, not that feeling euphoric is a bad thing, far from it. If I was completely ungrateful, I would be miserable, because nothing would please me.
So my point is that being grateful is a choice. Still, gratefulness seems to come to some people more easily than it comes to others. Some people just have the tendency to be melancholic, others tend toward joyfulness. I see myself as having both tendencies. It’s just like mental health or happiness; I dare say most of us are somewhere in the middle, and as my husband often says about areas in which I am trying to grow, it’s not a contest, Mary. So my journey in life includes my ability to recognize all that I have and being grateful in response to all of it. Remembering to be grateful is enhanced and flows from being mindful. So it’s about mindfulness. I think that is where my focus could best serve me.
So what am I taking for granted? That’s not really the issue for me. I would like to focus and grow in the area of awareness. I already want to be grateful. I just have to remember. Mindfulness can gently take me there.
I tend toward melancholy,
dear Mary,
but learning to be both mindful and grateful
has brought me out into the sunshine. ♥
The yoga yama I spent time writing about this morning is brahmacharya, energy management. The root words give this the meaning “movement toward truth.” Skill in Action author Michelle Cassandra Johnson asks us to think about how much space we take up, how our energy affects others, especially if we’re someone whose freedom to move, act and speak isn’t questioned or judged.
For years I took for granted my social location that gives me access with safety. I’ve spoken up freely, not recognizing that I might be taking space from others. I learned to recognize the ways in which I have freedom to speak and that I can use my freedom to amplify someone else’s voice who doesn’t always have the same ease or space.
Now I’m not the first one to speak in a room. I invite people who haven’t spoken to voice their thoughts if they’d like to, prioritizing those whose lives are furthest from justice and access. I work hard not to take my privilege for granted and instead to make it a platform for others to rise.
As a woman I certainly encountered spaces that didn’t invite me or make me feel free to speak, but my white skin gives me social advantages because of the deep and unjust structures of American society. I can’t take those advantages for granted; when I do, I perpetuate systemic injustice.
Some of Johnson’s questions:
– How do you inhabit space?
– How much space do you feel entitled to take up?
– How might the way you use your energy and manage your senses affect others, especially in situations where you hold privilege?
Beautiful reflection on brahmacharya, Barb 🙏🏼
Thank you! You mentioned the yamas the other day, and I had just gotten this book and started reading it.
I love your sensitivity to those whose voices are not often heard.
“I work hard not to take my privilege for granted and instead to make it a platform for others to rise.
Great sensitivity, insight, and love in action, Barb.
Thank you so much, Mary. I’ve had the great good fortune of many people being willing to share their stories and help me learn.
Many things. I think mostly is that I have a family and circle of friends that care for me and are present for me when Im in need. I am lucky to have a network of people to fall back on.
Liz, we live in a social world. Having relationships to fall on certainly helps. It’s those empires.
Air conditioning in this record breaking heat we’ve been experiencing. The Council on Aging gets several calls a week from folks who need fans, folks who can’t afford air conditioning and if they had it, couldn’t pay the electric bill to keep it running.
This is the only place I’ve ever lived,
dear Carol Ann,
that has a couple of window air conditioners,
so I can’t take them for granted.
With the extreme heat these last few years
it would have been unbearable.
And to think,
when I lived in Arizona
I had a swamp cooler,
which felt like living in a damp cave.
The cost of running these things
and for heating fuel this winter
will surely be a test for us all. ♥
That brief glimpse of time when the house smells like fresh coffee, silence punctuated by the dog’s breathing, clouds still clearing from our brains, trees and flowers outside vibrant in the morning light, a time before the heat of the day and of thought has stumbled in. A precious and cool time.
Lovely description, Drea.
Yes, a precious and cool time, Drea.
It was a morning like that
here too,
dear Drea . . . ♥
The quote reminds me of Drea’s saying imagine that things are one step worse and how you would be grateful for your current state.
I don’t realize the help that is out there, including professional. Unfortunately I go it alone and get overwhelmed. I don’t want to give you a litany of my woes. I’m beginning to see how I cause many of my own difficulties. It’s a fruitful row to hoe and I will pursue it.
As one who has tried going it alone,
dear Christina,
I not only don’t recommend it,
but can tell you for sure,
that it is lonely
and detrimental to your health.
People do like to help.
Ask. ♥
Christina, I think we’re taught to go it alone, and hitting a threshold with that is really healthy. I hope your pursuit leads to new discoveries and lots of friendship and camaraderie.
Of course, as I go about my day, I tend to get lost in the moment to moment stuff and forget about how extraordinary all of this is. And it’s usually in the absence of something or by listening or reading about other’s experiences that I am reminded of all of the gifts that I have and the miracle that I’m here at all. It’s when I can pause for a moment, that all the gifts become apparent.
I love the power of the pause!
Yes, it’s the pause and the remembering.
I think
we should all pause more often,
dear Charlie . . . ♥
Something that benefits me in my everyday life but I’m not aware of… maybe my ability to sing. That gift from God helps me express my feelings when I’m happy, as well as during moments when words can’t even describe my emotions.
NGOC, I relate. Though my voice is no longer there, it sustained me for many, many years. What is there now are precious memories when my singing voice not only helped me but helped others. Keep singing. It is such a precious gift.
You are so gifted,
dear Ngoc. ♥
My Ngoc, you with singing is like me with piano. Keeping a low profile can easily be misunderstood as underestimating ourselves. Those around us raised hope in us. Again, it all boils down to WHO we know, not WHAT we know.
I’m grateful for my 1914 house. I know the detached garage needs painting and numerous other projects need work. And I recall how hard my mom worked as a single mom to keep the roof over our heads with 5 kids. there’s so many homeless here in twin cities that I see daily. When I learned I was only the second generation home owner, it jostled my view of my family and financial assumptions I’ve made about my kin. Peace to all and blessings on however you lodge. ☮️🌻
Carla, your sharing reminds of how blessed I am to be a home owner.
That’s how I feel about my own
fixer upper,
dear Carla . . .
it is Heaven
to me. ♥
Homeownership as generational — that’s an interesting and stirring way to think about it, Carla. Homeowners are lucky indeed.
Paw Mu’s system and mine appear similar on the surface. I often get carried away with my business ventures that I forget where I come from which is emphasized in the PM system. We’re suppose to prioritize roots over ratings, but there are many times where I’ve ended doing the opposite before.
Before I hurt myself, definitely I took my right arm for granted! I still can’t use it much today and I’ll have a few more days of light duty at work.
Sending love and healing, Louise.
Louise, your sharing reminds me to be thankful for this body of mine that has made it into my mid-eighties!
Yes! When I broke my elbow a few years ago and couldn’t zip my own pants, that was quite a wake-up. It was my left elbow and I’m right-handed. I hadn’t realized how much I counted on arm #2.
Hope your arm gets better soon.
Drea, I remember you hurting your hand. How are you doing with that?
Thank you for asking, Mary. It’s much better, though it’s settled into a new shape–one just good enough to play piano with. Trying to stretch out that scar tissue till the end of the year, then I’ll see what I’ve got for life (or for a future surgery, but that is reallllly unappealing, hand recovery is slow and painful.)
You have been very patient with this,
dear Drea,
and it will be rewarded
with a better outcome. ♥
May healing continue.
When I first read the question, I was like, “I don’t take anything for granted.” But then I read your responses, and know that I definitely do… clean water, hot showers, air conditioning, being able to dress the way I want to and walk down the street, having plenty of food. I am reminded of a lady who was in a woman’s group I went to after I left my ex. We were talking about gratitude one day, and she said that if you couldn’t think of anything to be grateful for that you should be grateful for toilet paper 🧻 I have a lot to be grateful for, but I will never forget that!
Today is my last studio work day. Lots of endings this week. Taught my last Vinyasa and Deep Stretch classes at the fitness center yesterday and got very emotional at the end of vinyasa. Silly me read a Rumi quote about goodbyes and I just couldn’t stop the tears. Each person in there was a regular and I love them all so much. They have all touched my heart, and I carry them there forever 💖
Bright Blessings for new beginnings 🙂
🌞❤️🌱🙏
Goodbyes are so very difficult but your new location sounds wonderful and you will bgin new relationships with new customers and hopefully you will be very happy and settled in the days to come 🌞✨
Patti, Blessings always and all ways!
The early months of the pandemic should have taught all of us to be grateful for toilet paper! I too, thought of the basics that aren’t available to everyone and that I’ve had all my life.
Wishing you the best on. your new chapter, Sunnypatti! It sounds like you poured your heart into the chapter that is now closing, and are going into this new chapter with an open heart too. That’s beautiful and brave.
Blessings,
dear SunnyPatti,
to you and your husband,
as you being this new chapter
of your lives . . . ♥
Sunnypatti, it’s those basic needs that often get overlooked. Self-actualization is my level of needs in Maslow’s hierarchy of needs. It’s why I talk about my business ventures the way MJ talks about his golf courses. Greed is the main drawback. Competition and greed look similar. When it’s working, it’s the former. When it works against us, it’s the ladder. Being a competitor myself got me into business ventures as well. Sports and business are closely related. When I was little, I was into more of the pure sports. The older, I’ve become more interested in the business side of things. I use sports for business just like piano for living a laid back lifestyle.