In honor of this month’s holiday of Thanksgiving, I want to share a recent experience I am thankful for and what it’s taught me in the hopes that it inspires you to share what you are grateful for too. Let’s take a moment out of our busy lives to connect on what gives us the gift of true appreciation. This act of ‘stopping’ to articulate our gratitude opens up a space to feel more alive, gain a fresh perspective and to honor ourselves and/or others for helping us not take things for granted.
I am grateful for my life and my health. I always have been, but this year the gratitude runs deeper because I survived a life threatening health situation just three months ago. I experienced fear as my body was wracked with severe pain for a very long seven weeks. I felt relief upon learning the diagnosis as my pain was explained and nervousness as I embarked on the treatment plan. I found a gentle, other-worldly space to drift in as I stepped away from demanding projects and running my business to focus on recovering. I encountered a resilience and inner strength that kept me alive and proactive when the treatments failed and I was rushed into an emergency surgery. I discovered a profound stillness, startling clarity and immense joy in prayer and small, daily rituals re-confirming that I was indeed still alive…and dedicated to my healing process. I saw everything around me and inside of me with such a deep awareness of grace that I was often brought to tears. Like when my husband lovingly tucked me in bed post-surgery when my surgical scars and pain made it difficult to move. Or when, after driving through the night from Montana to be by my side, my mom cooked me breakfast and stayed for nearly 2 weeks to help me physically and emotionally recover. And when I acknowledge that it was my inner knowing and my ability to rally the help I needed that saved my life. This wisdom, this clarity and this chance to not take anyone or anything for granted is the gift I will carry with me for the rest of my life…what a blessing!
In reflection on my lessons, I learned to slow down my whirlwind lifestyle to truly listen to my body so I could get the medical care I needed to heal and make a full recovery. I also learned how life can change in an instant and by staying conscious to what is happening under the surface I stayed centered, communicated my need for assistance and appreciated how fortunate I was to have such a loving husband, family, friends and health care community ready to care for me and support my recovery. This was an awakening of what’s truly important and the awesome beauty of my life! For this profoundly transformational experience and the daily gift of being alive, I give thanks!
What are you grateful for? What do you learn from reflecting on what you appreciate? Who does your heart go out to in thanks-giving? How will you share and express this gratitude with others?
Wishing you all a safe, happy and healthy Thanksgiving holiday!
Samia Kornweibel
Certified Professional Coach
LifeLens Coaching
This blog also appeared in full at the Girl Power Hour Website, where I am honored to be a guest blogger.