FIVE BULLET GRATITUDE FRIDAY 01.29.16

FIVE BULLET GRATITUDE FRIDAY 01.29.16

I am taking an idea from a popular blog I read.  The author sends out a “Five Bullet Friday” email each week telling five things he’s working on, what inspired him during the week, a product he has found, etc.  In keeping with the theme that I started when I began blogging several years ago, I have decided to adapt his approach in my weekly “Gratitude Blog”. 

This week I am grateful for:

•      FRIENDSHIPS

Relationships are something I try to never take for granted. I strive to be the friend that a friend wants to have. I want to be there to provide support, laughter, and most of all, love.   Most of my friends and I do not live close to one another. We are scattered in different places throughout the country. Therefore, the vast majority of our correspondences are via text messages or interactions on facebook.  What I truly love about friendships is a connection that is deep.  This week I’ve been in touch with several friends each day.  Those who take time out of their busy day to just say “Hey…thinking about you.”  or “ How’s it going?” are golden to me. I’m grateful that I have more than one person in my life who truly cares about me, because no matter how alone I feel in the world, the truth is, that I have people in many different directions who truly care about me, my well-being and listen to what is going on.

•       MUSIC

I am a musician. I am a pianist, I am a vocalist. I’m grateful for the moments I had time to really sit down and practice my passion, the piano, this week. Even though I have studied music for more than two decades, I have areas of weakness-rhythm. I have been able to sit down and concentrate with a metronome in hopes of continually improving-especially in the areas where I am weakest. I’m grateful for the musical skills I have been given. I’m grateful for opportunities I’ve had in the past to share the skills on a larger scale, and for the patience my roommates give me as I give them mini concerts and when they hear “well, crap!” when I hit a wrong note or can’t just nail a rhythm.

•       THINKING

A friend told me today in a text “you’re always thinking”.  It’s true. I’m always thinking. I’m always trying to figure out how to be a better version of myself. I’m not always successful, and in the spirit of being completely honest, there are often way too many things I want to do to make my life more the way I want it to be that I often just spin my wheels. But I am grateful for the ability to think, to attempt to put things in perspective for myself. I’m a work in progress. Always.

•      HOME

I’m grateful for my roommates who have unselfishly made a place for me in my transition here in Nashville.  We call ourselves the Golden Girls…and since I haven’t been able to come up with names for them for the purpose of the blog, I’ll refer to them by their character names: Dorothy and Sophia. I’m so grateful to share a space with you, and thanks for never tiring of my stories of St. Olaf. You’ve both taught me so much about life in less than two months. Thanks for welcoming Rose into the house.

•       QUOTE THAT SPOKE TO ME:

Almost everyday I post at least one quote on facebook. The purpose is primarily to encourage myself where I am on my own personal Journey, but there’s often a ripple effect with the quotes I share.  I always say the quotes find me. This quote spoke to me deeply this week, and truly exemplifies my passion for living with intention:

"The mindless junk of your past crowds out opportunities and sets pointless limitations. Move out the junk, and you create room for the rest of your life. Ultimately, it's not just a question of tidying your house; it's a question of liberating your heart."—Merlin Mann

Here’s my confession: It may look like I’m a happy person from my facebook posts. I may look like I have everything together. It may appear that I never have a bad day. Sometimes I do complain. Sometimes I do get discouraged. Sometimes I keep those thoughts to myself or to my own private journal entries. The truth of the matter is that I’m as broken as the next guy. I am a flawed, vulnerable, scared man just trying to live in the only thing that is guaranteed: This. Present. Moment. There are times that I fret. There are times that I worry. There are times that I don’t understand where I’m headed.  I confess that sometimes I can’t see the forest for the trees. Sometimes I am a “glass half empty” kind of guy.  At my darkest moments, I try to have a positive perspective. I would lose what I have of my mind were I to not adopt this perspective.  Sometimes, even looking at things from a positive vantage point, I still feel hopeless. But…Everything shall pass. Everything works out exactly as it is supposed to. Everything is made beautiful in its own time. That doesn’t mean that I have permission to sit on the sidelines and just let things happen. I have to be active, and for me, the greatest activity in which I can engage myself is being grateful for the experiences that come my way. Living life with a grateful heart is the key to unlocking a life of whole-hearted living, and I challenge you to do the same.