I'm reading a new book I picked up yesterday called "The Magic" by Rhonda Byrne. My friends from the Rainbow Sharing Circle decided to read it as a group and hold discussions on each chapter. I couldn't wait to pick up my own copy. :)
The book captured my attention from the beginning. The author talks about what it was like to be a child and find everything to be so mystifying and "magical." Butterflies were beautiful. Fairies lived in gardens. Perhaps you believed in Santa Claus, the Tooth Fairy and the Easter Bunny. If you were like myself and most other children, you will recall just how exciting this was. Dreaming of Santa's magical reindeer. Wondering how he delivered all those toys in one night but having faith he would be there. Wondering how the Easter bunny made it from house to house being such a small bunny. "He doesn't have reindeer like Santa! How does he do it??" It was incredibly exciting. As we grew older we lost this magic though. The holidays became stressful. The only taste of "the magic" some of us got was by interacting with children. We remember what it was like to feel that way. It's a little sad that we lose this as adults. The author tells us we can get this magic back though. The question becomes, how?
Chapter two shares a quote from the gospel of Matthew:
"Whoever has will be given more, and he will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken from him."
Sounds pretty harsh doesn't it? This could be interpreted that the rich will get richer and the poor will get poorer. But there's a riddle to be solved in this passage. A mystery to uncover, and when you know it a new world will open up for you.
The answer to the mystery is hidden in one word: gratitude.
"Whoever has gratitude will be given more, and he or she will have an abundance. Whoever does not have gratitude, even what he or she has will be taken from him or her."
If you don't take the time to be grateful you will never have more, and what you do have you will lose.
Gratitude. One simple word. The Universal law. The law of attraction, which governs that all energy in our Universe, from the formation of an atom to the movement of the planets, "like attracts like." It's because of the law of attraction that cells of every living creature are held together, as well as the substance of every material object. In your life, the law operates on your thoughts and feelings, because they are energy too, and so whatever you think, whatever you feel, you attract to you."
Are you truly grateful for all that you have? Or are you like me sometimes. I have days where I hate my job. I wish I made more money. I wish I had fewer bills. I wish I had a big house in Charlottetown. I wish I was skinner, prettier, etc. We take for granted what we do have. We put out messages of dissatisfaction with who we are and what we have. In doing this, it is said the Universe will give us more of what we ask for. More stress at work. More bills. More debt. Do we really want that? I certainly don't and I know I have the "magic" to change it.
Today was a beautiful day on PEI. Sadly however, I woke up thinking "Man this sucks. Tomorrow is Monday. I have to go back to work and I'm on call another week. I bet the on call phone will be busy. It's a holiday too. Why does life have to suck sometimes??" Talk about an ungrateful attitude!! Thankfully, I was able to gain some sense and realize what I was doing. I made a gratitude list which I'm going to share:
- I am thankful to HAVE a job. There are so many people who don't have jobs. The job I have is a good job with the government that pays me well. The job is challenging but it affords my family and I the ability to pay our mortgage, keep food on the table, take vacations and enjoy some luxuries in life.
- I have a loving family. My husband, my children. We all woke up this morning - TOGETHER, under one roof. Happy. Healthy. Alive. There are families that are torn apart due to divorce. Families that are apart due to spouses having to work off island. We are lucky to be here, together!
- We have a roof over our head. Yes we pay a mortgage on it but we don't worry about being homeless, being cold, or wondering where we will spend the night.
- We have never gone hungry. We have an abundance of food. In fact, many nights we get the luxury of CHOOSING what we want to eat. Sadly not everyone in this world can say this.
- We went to church today, after not being there in quite some time and were welcomed with open arms and greeted kindly.
- We spent the afternoon hiking the Greenwich trail with wonderful friends! We got to take in the beauty of nature while being healthy. No sweating to cardio on a treadmill. We were surrounded by friendship and Mother Nature. It was truly beautiful. :)
There are many things in life to be grateful for. This list barely scratches the surface. I encourage everyone to consider reading this book, or at least giving some thought towards creating your own gratitude list. I'm anxious to see what results I will have with this change in attitude. I already feel happier. I feel like a weight has been lifted and I feel 'light' if that makes sense. I'm doing my best not to stress and to just enjoy and be grateful for every moment I have. :)
What are you grateful for?
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