11-21-2014

Mary’s Minute

“I would maintain that thanks are the highest form of thought; and that gratitude is happiness doubled by wonder.”

                                                                                    ~G.K. Chesterton

 

With Thanksgiving less than a week away, I want to reflect on thankfulness.  One of the things for which I am most grateful is my ability to be grateful.  I am thankful for the big things in life, like being part of this great PC team, my family, friends, a job I love, a wonderful community, but I also am thankful for the little things.  Something that I have started consciously doing is silently expressing my gratitude when little things go right.  For example, I am a huge klutz.  I often drop dishes, stumble, etc., and on the occasions when I don’t break something or I don’t fall, I am truly thankful.  I figure that if the outcome would have gone the other way, I might silently (or maybe not so quietly) express a, “Darn!”  In the same spirit of gratitude I try to express, even if it is just to myself, gratitude for the little things:  hearing my children laugh, watching a beautiful sunset, or even negative experiences that teach a valuable lesson.  It is great to express gratitude out loud, and I hope I express to people my thankfulness.  For me it is also about an attitude that keeps me grounded in positive energy.  Being grateful helps me stay happy and to love life.  Thanksgiving is a beautiful time to reflect on all the things for which we are thankful and also a time to recognize the gift of not only expressing our thankfulness, but living a life filled with gratitude in our hearts.

 

Happy Thanksgiving!

                                                                                         Mary

11-14-2014

Mary’s Minute

“Accept responsibility for your life. Know that it is you who will get you where you want to go, no one else.”                                                                                              ~ Les Brown 

 

We all depend on other people.  We also feel obligations to help others.  Sometimes our obligations are altruistic, in that we feel that we have a responsibility to help others as part of our quest to make the world a better place.  We also have obligations that are more intense, like our desire to care for members of our family.  Despite our dependence on others and our obligations to others, we also have to understand that the most important responsibility we have is to take responsibility for our own lives. 

I believe in being grateful for all the good in our lives, but never placing blame for things that don’t go our way.  Gordon Taylor used to always tell me that no matter how bad things were for him, he knew there were people who had it so much worse.  Taking responsibility for ourselves is about being grateful, but it is mainly about personal accountability.  I give credit and gratitude for all the good in my life, and for all the missteps, I take full responsibility.  For me that is the only way to live a happy and humble life. 

Have a great week!

Mary