Gratitude

From Tiny Buddha:

5. You from five years ago had nothing on present-you. 

Every time I look back just a few years I have this smile on my face. I look at the socially awkward past-Vincent, the guy just trying to figure life out. Then I say, wow, I was a doofus!

Guess what? A few years ago when I did the same retrospection I thought the same thing to myself. Every time you look back you sort of cringe and wonder how you were so _______.

Imagine five years from now. You’re going to change so much (hopefully for the better) and you’ll realize you’ve grown a lot.

Okay, so now I'm stuck with this chesty cold/flu thing and I'm not happy one bit.  But then I read this article from Vincent Nyguen and my faith is restored.  Me, five years ago, was a struggling mess.  A job I had come to hate, a wife that was falling down the hole of addiction and alcoholism, feeling overwhelmed and drinking too much alcohol  to smooth out the rough edges.  There were a lot of rough edges.

Today, I am grateful to say, I am sober, I have jettisoned that job, my life is simpler and more serene, and I am happily single.  I guess I hit my bottom somewhere in there, though I couldn't describe the moment.  It was more like an accumulation of moments.  Crappy moments.  I am grateful to my ex-wife who supported me in my decision to retire early.  That was a life-saver.  And I'm grateful now to have a small but lovely place to live, good food to nourish my body, all the basics taken care of.

I am grateful for my therapist, who is also a Buddhist Lama, and who gently sets me straight when needs be.  I am grateful for the friends I  have surrounding me, playing with me, walking with me through this life.

There is much to be grateful for, and I am.  And to think this morning started out with me feeling a tad sorry for myself, what with my lingering cold and all.  Pish Posh.

Helen Keller and Sir Thomas

Happy National Dog Day!  A day to recognize and cherish our darling companions who make us smile and melt our hearts on a daily basis.