It's only day twenty seven so I have to be honest, I didn't expect to already be writing a blog with a title that's quite so on the nose. But on a day like this one is already proving itself to be, I take a breath, I focus inward, and I say: today I am grateful for gratitude. I am grateful for this project. I am grateful for the ability to search through even the darkest of moments to find glimmers of light. It sounds hippy dippy and new agey, but maybe that's why the majority of people who fall under those intended-to-be-derogatory descriptions tend to be the happier people in the world. Their ability to find glimmers of hope and light, despite looming darkness, is a true skill that we should all work harder to have in our tool box. Now don't get me wrong, I'm not talking about the toxic positivity crowd, the, "it could be worse, you could have cancer. You SHOULD be grateful," types. No. I'm talking about the ones who can look at a glass in a world that says it's either half empty or half full and say, "today I'm grateful I have water in my glass."
I've become a firm believer in the fact that cruelty and negativity scream while kindness and positivity whisper. It's why the world is so hard to take in sometimes. How can one possibly keep a happier frame of mind when it feels like everyone is so cruel? When the internet is full of people who are hellbent on destroying your confidence and every line of customers has at least two people in it who will most likely belittle the cashier and demand to see a manager. The world feels so harsh because the cruelty is SO loud. The kindness is found in the soft, quiet moments. The, "how are you" people, who genuinely wish to listen to an answer. The pay it forwards. The gentle compliments. The encouragement and support. It's not aggressive, and I don't know...maybe we need to become more aggressively kind? Start yelling, "You are amazing at your job! I hope you have a great day!" to drown out the see-a-managers? Nah, that's ridiculous. Maybe aggressive kindness has nothing to do with actually being aggressive, but being more conscious with our attempts to spread the whispers. Because, if I know anything in this world to be true, if you get enough people together who are speaking quietly, the sheer amount can drown out the ones who scream.
So today, while feeling dark, ominous, looming, heavy...all of the things I really dislike, is in and of itself a gift. It is forcing me to find gratitude. There's nothing admirable about it when it's easy. It's also forcing me to stand strong in who I am, even though my legs are shaking (and not just because I ran yesterday, my dudes). It's forcing me to remove the rose colored glasses and take a clear look at reality, and though it isn't rosy, it does have glimmers of hope, and light.
Negativity will never be the answer to drowning out negativity. Focusing on the bad will only bring more bad your way, even if the only reason for that is because it's all you'll ever see. If you're too focused on the display of human destruction in nature when you don't have the power to change it in that moment, you will miss the beauty of the fact that, at least for today, nature still stands. The trees still sparkle as the sun rises through their leaves, and despite our pressure cooker of a planet, the first colors of fall are already starting to peep through. I'm not suggesting we blind ourselves to reality, we should be aware of the bad that is going on around us. However, if we cannot change it (at least in that moment) we shouldn't loom over it, because the beauty of the world is still a part of reality, and ignoring it to focus on everything that's wrong does not make you sound intelligent or like a "realist"...it will only make you miserable.
I am grateful for the beauty of the trees, even if they are surrounded by human's reckless destruction. I am also grateful for my ability to see both sides of that image, and hold space for them. Long after humanity has wiped itself out, the planet will still exist. And it will heal itself, and be beautiful. Just remember, you are just as capable of doing the same (but you don't have to, nor should you, wait until the fall of humanity to try).
May you find something to find gratitude in today, even if it is seemingly insignificant to the world around you.
-Dominique
[Current earworm: bad idea right? Olivia Rodrigo (there is nothing deep or profound about this. It's tiktok's fault)]
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