Grateful.

Yesterday, I shook hands with a woman at church who was in a wheelchair. She was beautiful, a brunette with long shiny hair and big brown eyes, and a huge smile on her face. She couldn't have been too much older than me. Obviously a woman of faith, she seemed completely content with her life and shared her joy with others. I felt happier after speaking with her. 

Then, I found out this woman used to be a full-functioning "normal" woman with a great job and a prosperous life, until she got into an awful car-wreck and is now paralyzed for the rest of her life and needs around-the-clock help. She could live at home with her family in Mississippi but wanted to live in Atlanta on her own. 

Now, that to me is courage and that is faith, and whenever I start to think I have a really huge problem, I'll try to think of the amount of strength she must have inside of herself and how huge her spirit must be.

Although this post is not directly related to yoga, I felt inspired today at the end of my run to write about how much we (I am very much, 100% included in this "we") take so many things for granted. I'm talking things like this:

1. I can wake up everyday, put both of my feet on the ground and engage in life. I also have the power to make my life miserable or make it as joyful as possible.

2. I have a healthy body and I am able to participate in activities I love (i.e. yoga, running, hiking, swimming, eating, etc.) because of that. I have enough food to nourish my body everyday and I have the choice to respect my body and take care of it. 

3. I have people in my life who love me and who will always be there for me when I am hurting, and visa versa. 

4. I have a healthy mind that allows me to do other things I love, like writing, reading and learning. And, I have the power to create peace and balance in my mind if I consciously work on it. 

After my run, these are the thoughts that drifted into the forefront of my brain, after a day in which I was probably taking all of those wonderful things for granted. And sometimes, no I don't have the energy to "consciously create balance in my mind" but that is okay. It's ok to have some days of mental chaos and distrust that life is working out the way it is supposed to. It's hard sometimes to remember that but I believe if we can always keep (or try to) the grateful thoughts in our minds and hearts, regardless of what happens externally, we can realize how much we have already. We can see clearer, and life becomes richer and more meaningful.

Namaste!