11/10/06

Perhaps Hendrix Would Have Challenged: Do You Have Gratitude?

Maybe the title here is true, maybe not. This post has nothint to do with Jimi Hendrix, but I think he'd agree with the sentiment. I’m going back a few weeks to Rick Cockrum’s October 31 post in “Shards of Consciousness”, Giving Gratitude. . (Yeah, I’m really behind on my reading.) In essence, Rick starts with telling us that he feels “gratitude” is an ikky word. He doesn’t like it, I don’t like it, most of us shy away from it. But, ya know what? If we want to be happy, we need to have it and, much as we don’t like the idea, we need to admit to the Universe we are grateful for it. Rick and a slew of other great thinkers are right that “we create our own reality”. If we think life sucks, it does. “My boss is a prick”, “The kids are brats”, “Taxes are too high”, “I can’t afford, do, think, read”. It all goes into the negative column. We need to do the work to put us into the positive of life. Are you, am I, is anyone else not worth that work? Fire the boss who’s a prick; become the boss of yourself. You can do it, if you find gratitude enough in your heart to realize you’re worth what it takes to try. Give the kids some discipline. You’re the adult; they’re not. I think it was Dr. Phil who said, “you’re not raising children, you’re raising adults”. Don’t throw your hands in the air as if you have no control. You are making the adults of tomorrow. You’re the Moms and the Dads. Instill in those children of yours a sense of love, responsibility, gratitude for the world around them and you’ll reap the rewards. You, me, all of us can afford to take the time to make our lives better and richer. We have no excuse for doing otherwise. Can we realistically gripe about anything that’s in our control? Everything is in our control! Let all of us be grateful today and all days. It will enrich all of our lives.

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

Thank you, Carolyn. I'm going to tell my wife I'm a great thinker. Of course she'll say "Think about taking out the garbage." :-)

Trying to change other people is like trying to fly a rocket ship by throwing rocks at it from the back. The only real, lasting change comes from changing yourself.

Carolyn Manning said...

Rick,

So? Did you take the garbage out?

No, we can't change other people, but, dammit, they try to change us. Some of us (and please the Universe who tends to us so lovingly, to allow me to speak so freely) are working toward the betterment of us.

You're one of those wonderful people. Thank you for being you,

So, did you do anything about the garbage, yet?

Carolyn

Anonymous said...

Yep! I took out the garbage. I changed the granddaughter's diaper, too.

Some people do try to force others into the mold they think they should fit. Someday they'll learn not to throw rocks. In the meantime, if we have to be around them, some of our hardest lessons are in learning to deal with them.

Carolyn Manning said...

You make me laugh, Rick, but I just remembered that you're the husband if K, correct? How does she feel today?

How we feel about the world is nothing compared to show she feels today.

Carolyn

Anonymous said...

No, my wife is Lady Glynis. Joe at Working at Home on the Internet is K's husband. She is doing okay. The spot was benign. Yes, we are all thankful.

Carolyn Manning said...

Oh, heck. Thanks for correcting me.

Carolyn