Gratitude

Life is so mysterious and magical, isn't it?
I was thinking (don't know why) that tonight's gratitude post would be my final one, though I want to continue to post gratitude remarks at the end of regular posts - just to keep the good mojo aflowin'.
I wasn't sure what I was going to write about. I was thinking along the lines of the wondrous tomato and fresh basil and mozzarella salad that I had for supper. Or the wonderful and uplifting conversation I had with my mother.
Then Laura sent me a sweet note about gratitude.
"Aaah, there it is", I thought. I'm grateful for gratitude.
What a lovely (and serendipitous!) ending to a month of gratitude.

I am a believer in karma - not in a "forever pay your dues for a mistake you made in a past life" sort of way, rather in a "natural law means you choose your experiences" sort of way.
I mean I believe that we choose our literal reality (well, supposed reality) as well as our emotional reality.
ie - today's decisions equal to today's/maybe tomorrow's reality; and also that we have the freedom to in any moment to judge an experience as "good" or "bad". It's entirely up to us.

But you know already know my thoughts on this, right?

On to gratitude.

I began the set because I believe that whatever we most need to receive is what we should be spreading around.
And since the Universe is a Grand Ol' Chap, it tends to give us what we give in (at least) three-fold.
So, I was sorely in need of Good Things a while back.
It wasn't that I was lacking, of course, just that I was having a problem identifying the Good Things. Was too busy hurting over and keeping track of The Bad.
Knew I had to turn that around.
Thus, Gratitude.

It was not my intent to manipulate, and I was never tempted to fake gratitude. If I felt off, then it was something not quite earth-shattering, such as tomato-basil-mozzarella salad. But always sincere.
I'm not sure exactly how, but somewhere along the way, things changed. I lost the panicked edge. I lost the worries.
Maybe it was strictly because of the passing of time, but I don't think so, as I can obsess on things and worry and fret about things for a reeeeeeeally long time.
But it changed.
Shifted.
And here I am.
Grateful - truly grateful - for so many wonderful things.
It doesn't matter that they may not be earth-shattering to others. Or even silly, for that matter. They are my markers of a life well-lived, my sparkly stones that I've left on my trail, my memories, and smiles, and sometimes heart-felt shudders.

I am in a very different place than I was a month ago.
And I am grateful.