Dear friend,
As you might know, I consider myself to be the luckiest person in the world.
Not compared to anyone else, just within my own little world.
And still, like everyone else, I face difficulties. I recently had some private issues, and it reminded me of something I think about quite often.
How hard, or maybe how easy, is it to be both disturbed and grateful?
Inevitably, life will give you sh*t. Something unfair will happen and you look at the world and think, how is this even possible?
Sometimes you just want to shout at the world and point at the injustice happening everywhere around us.
It sounds like a paradox.
Can I be disturbed by what happened and still be grateful? Can I feel hurt, frustrated or disappointed, and still look around and say: wow, I have so much?
I think we can and I think we should.
Gratitude doesn’t mean pretending everything is fine.
Gratitude means you are present enough to hold both sides.
You can acknowledge what is difficult without letting it become the whole story. And you can feel disturbed without giving that disturbance the power to take over.
Sometimes two things are true at the same time. People or things can hurt you, and you can still be blessed. The world can feel an awful place at the times, but the sea can still be beautiful that same morning.
When you pause, even for a minute, you can start seeing more clearly. You can notice the emotion without becoming it. You can put the ego aside just long enough to say: yes, this is difficult, but this is not the whole story.
So this week, regardless of what is happening in your life, I have a small request.
Take some time with no screens.
Sit down, relax, and think about one situation that is disturbing you right now.
Look at it honestly and then ask yourself:
What is still good?
What is still here?
What can I still be grateful for, even while this thing is difficult?
You don’t have to choose between being disturbed and being grateful.
Hold both without losing yourself.
This Week’s Cue to Pause
Gratitude doesn’t erase what hurts. It helps you remember what is still good.
Truly yours, this moment.
Armando