THE GRATITUDE GAME

          I greet this day with a grateful heart.Starting now, I choose to cultivate an attitude of gratitude foreveryone, everything and every situation I encounter today. I embracethis day as adventure, knowing that only good can come from mywillingness to greet whatever I encounter today as a gift, waiting tobe unwrapped and received with the expectation of grace arriving.

If at any point I findmyself resisting one of these "gifts," I am committed toshifting my perspective at the moment I become aware of myresistance. I chose to travel my path with a grateful heartthroughout the day ahead.

FAILING TO FAIL
            However, I also give myself permission in advance to "fail" --- knowing full well that I will almost certainly forget this attitude of gratitude as being my chosen modus operandi. Having given myself this permission, I am free to notice my resistance behaviors without judgment, whenever I encounter them. Rather than beating myself up for having forgotten, I will simply accept that this "forgetting" too, is just another gift I've been given, as an opportunity to remember to shift back gently to my chosen stance: "I greet everyone and everything I encounter today with a grateful heart."
            Even as I write these words, I noticed that my neck and left shoulder are particularly stiff and sore this morning. It hurts. I feel myself starting to complain, rooting through my memories of yesterday to find out what "caused" this pain. "Surely it was something you ate, or did, or didn't do that made this happen," grumbles my Monkey Mind, doing his best to add another level of shame to this Blame Game he just loves to play...
 
CHOOSING TO WIN
            But rather than arguing with him, resisting the bodily sensations of soreness and spending time trying to find the culprit who's causing this discomfort, I remember that this pain, too, is a gift. One that I choose to greet with an attitude of gratitude. Within moments of making this new choice, I become aware that this "pain in the neck" is a clear body signal that I am out of alignment with myself, and that this is a personalized, hand-delivered invitation for me to do what it takes to get my life back into balance. No need to go into the details here; I'm clear on what needs to be done, and feel a renewed commitment to actually doing it.
            I'm also feeling grateful for the appointment I made earlier in the week to see my chiropractor later this morning. Based on our long-term relationship stretching back over 25 years, I'm pretty sure Dr. Owen can provide significant relief from this pain, as long as I do my part. This awareness, in turn, reminds me to be grateful that our family has enough money to pay for his services - which, in turn, triggers an overwhelming sensation of the abundance permeating every facet of my life.
 
TIME AND AGAIN
            "Baloney," interjects my Monkey Mind into this internal conversation I'm having, wanting desperately to pop my balloon. "That's so phony! You're just being Pollyanna Positive."
            I can feel myself starting to contract in reaction to that old Monkey Mind voice, once again. It's a syndrome I know all too well. But today, rather than trying to drown him out, I remember that his presence, too, is a gift, as long as I remember to shift my perspective and welcome his voice as a reminder that I have a new choice now. And now. And now...
            I love the way this Game of Gratitude works! Which is why I choose to repeat what I said earlier, " I greet everyone and everything I encounter today with a grateful heart."  That's my story, and today, I'm sticking to it.
 
With gratitude and blessings,
         Rudi