Gratitude envers la vie

En ce matin de la Fêtes des Mères, je repense à tout ce que ma mère a fait pour moi, à combien de fois elle a été là pour moi sans jamais demander à être remercié. Cet amour inconditionnel est rare et parfois même incompréhensible, mais il existe.

Dans ses enseignements sur la compassion, le Dalaï-Lama nous suggère de voir chaque personne comme si elle était notre propre mère afin de nous aider à développer notre capacité à avoir de la compassion pour tout les êtres humains.

Cela dit, vous pouvez vous imaginer que ça puisse faire des drôles de scénarios des fois! Par exemple, le monsieur bedonnant à la moustache qui prend le même autobus que moi tout les matins, l’imaginer comme ma mère?! Ça fait sourire en tout cas!

En fait, selon le Dalaï-Lama, la première semence de compassion que nous recevons dans notre vie, nous la recevons de notre mère. La science a démontré que les nouveaux-nés, ne recevant pas d’affection de sa mère (ou de d’autres humains) et/ou pour lequel le contact humain est presque qu’inexistant, auront beaucoup plus tendance à développer des maladies graves et même à mourir dans les premières semaines que les nouveaux-nés recevant un niveau d’affection normal.

Prenons donc aujourd’hui un moment pour réaliser combien nous sommes chanceux et chanceuses. Ayons de la gratitude devant cette vie qui nous est offerte gratuitement et réalisons combien le rôle de chaque personne sur cette planète est essentiel à notre propre survie. Remarquez ce lien qui existe entre nous tous et choisissez de mettre de côté vos tracas, si ce n’est que pour quelques instants.

Finalement, remerciez votre Maman aujourd’hui de vous avoir mis au monde et d’avoir pris soin de vous pour vous donner les outils nécessaires (et continuer de le faire) pour faire face à la vie. Merci Maman, je t’aime :)

Friendship and laughter

If you have good friends in your life consider letting them know how much they mean to you. I am lucky to be surrounded by amazing, compassionate, caring and true people. I am grateful and thankful to have them in my life.

They make me laugh, think, cry, love, and enjoy life as it comes. Above all, they take me as I am, happy or sad, silly or serious. They offer shoulders to cry on or lean on, and I am certain that as I would go out of my way for them, they would do so for me as well.

So take a moment to acknowledge the people around you. Consider yourself lucky for this chance to have such people in your life. To my dear friends, you know who you are, thank you all for being in my life and for bringing me so much joy everyday. Much love.

Embracing change

Many of us have been told: “you’ve changed a lot” or “you’re not the same person anymore”. Whether said with good intentions or not, the fact is, change is constantly happening around us and within us. To paraphrase Daviji, you are not the same person that you were when you woke up this morning, and by the time you finish reading this article, you will not be the same person that you are now.

On a physical and molecular level, our bodies are in a constant state of change and adaptation. New blood cells are generated, old tissues are being shed, we’ve taken one more breath and heard another sound. On psychological and neurological level, our brain is continuously making new neural connections, registering new information, while we continue to learn and seek to understand.

So why are people so afraid of change? You don’t believe me?! Think about those who have pointed out how much you have changed; why do you think that they are telling you this? You are disrupting their way of being, their status quo. Your relationship with them will never be the same. This change will affect them too. But it doesn’t have to be a bad thing, it simply is. As my teacher once said: “you will never experience this moment this same way ever again” ~ Guy Tardif.

Some people hold on to “the way things were” for far too long, expecting things and people to remain the same. Some people may even feel threatened or blame others for the change they are noticing in you. The reality is that they no longer feel important to you. When a person defines himself or herself externally, meaning in relation to others, they become a victim feeling as though they owed or that you have betrayed them…

Then, sometimes, you will find people who will support you through this change. Some may even push you outside of your comfort zone and, although you may not like this very much at first, these are the situations that, should you choose to let them, will change you for ever. And once you will accept to look within you and to face these fears, these past events and people who are preventing you to grow, always bringing you back to face the same situation, only then will you recognize and understand how much they have helped you.

And so, to those who accuse you of having changed, answer them: “yes, I have, and it feels really good”. And to those who have been supporting and encouraging this change within me, I am forever grateful for your presence in my life and I love you muchly. Om Shanti.

Being grateful

With the traditional Thanksgiving long weekend approaching, I am left to think about how most of us celebrate this event without actually giving it the sense it deserves anymore. This is the busiest time of the year for farmers in Canada as they harvest the last fruits and vegetables from their lands and as they prepare for the next season.

Thanksgiving has many origins. It is a celebration of the Earth, an occasion for communities to get together and rejoice after much hard work. This is a time to share and to be grateful. Interestingly, it seems that the origins of the first Thanksgiving in Canada dates back to the 1500. Martin Frobisher, an explorer who had tried to find a northern passage to the Pacific Ocean, proposed a Thanksgiving celebration for his safe return home from the unsuccessful search. In 1578, he held a formal ceremony in Newfoundland to give thanks for surviving the long journey.

Earlier this year, I published a post on Gratitude through which I shared Njari Jonhson’s own poetic take (click here). There, she tells us to be thankful and to notice the simple things in our lives for which we should be grateful. Thinking about this coming weekend, I am suggesting we bring a grateful awareness into our lives today.

Let’s think about what we are be grateful for. Perhaps we may wish to acknowledge a loving relationship, a special person in our life, a friend, another sentient being, our family. Do other people care for you and do things for you? Does someone listen and support you? What about things that we often take for granted like our health, our ability to taste food, to hear music and to see the beauty of a sunset? Or maybe we are grateful for a talent we have or for the job we have.

The truth is, we have so much to be grateful for. And so, let’s take this opportunity to bring this feeling of gratitude in our daily lives. Think about two or three things you are really grateful for. And then, when you have a hard time and that things are not going well, think about those. While doing yoga and holding a hard posture, smile in thinking that you have the time, the health, the physical capacity and an environment that is permissive to this practice. At work when things get really busy and you have to make more changes to a document you’ve already edited five times: breathe! Then take a quick moment to acknowledge your awesome boss or your great colleagues, to remember why you are working here in the first place or see how this job allows you to do other things you enjoy.

In the end, it is all a matter of perspective. Sincere thoughts, compassion, patience, perseverance and truth in your words and actions will always bring you more to be grateful for. Happy Thanksgiving weekend!

Gratitude ~ by N.Jonhson

This text was written by Njari Jonhson. I chose to publish her post on gratitude because she writes it so simply and beautifully. Her deep connection and sensitivity to life is felt through her poems but she also writes about her travels and food. You can read more on her blog at http://siannaphey.wordpress.com/.

“Gratitude  is

Thankfulness

Counting your blessings

Acknowledging all you receive

Noticing simple pleasures

Being aware of how much you have been given

Changing focus from what your life lacks to the abundance that is present

Be grateful for what you have and where you are now

All you have is All you need – right now!

*

We are like a magnet, what you feel, be it love, fear, hurt, happiness, anger, resistance, joy etc, you are creating a force that attracts and draws you to events, circumstances and conditions in line with what you are feeling. In other words, our thoughts, feelings, beliefs, which include affirmations attract vibrationally what they are sending. When you sincerely express gratitude you draw to you more of what you are expressing gratitude for – your energy becomes harmonious and accepting – and it puts you in a resonance optimal for attracting those energies. When you resist, and not expressing gratitude, you attract that which you are not wanting – the polar opposite.

You choose your emotions and thoughts in every moment. So,choose to focus on thoughts of gratitude and you will in turn train your emotions and mind to respond with gratitude, and draw more abundance and things to be grateful for.”

Thank you for letting me share your inspiring words Njari.