The Dance of Gratitude

Give Thanks


Gratitude is the magic elixir that makes the difficulties in life palatable. Gratitude is the sugar that helps one to swallow the bitter pill. To be grateful when things are easy is one thing, to be grateful when everything goes terribly wrong is quite another. Yet gratitude is the golden key that unlocks the door to acceptance, joy, and abundance.

One of the challenges that stands in the way of our being grateful during difficult times is our attachment to the way things are. Most of us hate change. We become attached to, well, we become attached to just about everything; we are attached to our stuff, our identity, our job, our income, our families, you name it. Conversely, we are attached to our dramas, our struggles, our past, and our stories.

So what does attachment have to do with gratitude? It seems that to be grateful we must be accepting of what comes our way. Yes, I’m suggesting that we accept things just the way they are and bless them because it is only from the standpoint of acceptance that we can actually change what needs to be changed.

We often live in denial of the way things are. It is our denial that creates the tension between where we are and where we think we should be. It is only when we open ourselves to the present and accept what is that we can be in relationship with it in a new and powerful way. We attract the present to us like a magnet. We are the product of our choices and consciousness.

This is a difficult pill to swallow. Gratitude is the sweet elixir that makes it possible to be in relationship to less than desirable circumstances. When I can bless what is, I can then begin the process of transforming what is into something different. It is through the power of my blessing that I change the focus of my consciousness. In other words, I come into new relationship with it. I become a co-creator with reality.

As I learn to dance with what has shown up in my life, I am able to use the power of its momentum to craft a new direction. Just as a waltz twirls and spins, so can I use the energy of life to explore its myriad possibilities. Rather than view circumstances as a train bent for hell, I can start to dance with my life and turn it in a different direction.

Gratitude is the action, the energy that turns life into a dance. If you find yourself headed somewhere you would rather not go and feel that a situation or circumstance is pulling you along, stop for a moment and look it straight in the eyes and tell it thank you for being with you. Open your heart and send it all the love you can muster and then with a smile on your face ask, “Would you like to dance?”

Comments

stevezorn said…
Very well said, Julie. I'm very sure that being in gratitude is one of the most difficult and most powerful positions. We must constantly refocus our present to stay out of our past or future. This really helps, Thanks.

steve zorn
Julie Smith said…
Hi Steve! So good to see you here! I agree, it is difficult to remain grateful during hard times, but it seems to help smooth the way!

Blessings friend!

Julie