“A good memory is one that can remember the day’s blessings and forget the day’s troubles.” ~Unknown

My family; my friends; my life work; my health; a warm home; clean water to drink; laughter; happiness; the ability to give; food to eat…

Above is a very short sampling of the many blessings I am fortunate to enjoy every day. It’s easy to forget our blessings when we are staring at our insufficiencies and difficulties.

Last week was “one of those weeks” for me — I had a head cold, which started the end of the previous week. I was fatigued and lacking energy. Then the mistakes seemed to start…I realized I had accidentally double-booked guests for a future radio show; I thought I had sent an email to a future guest on my show, only to find out that it was saved in my “drafts” and never made it there. My guest’s phone connection on the radio show broadcast on Monday dropped right when the show started, and then it dropped again during the show…

On Tuesday I had two meetings and subsequently forgot to pick up my daughter on time for her piano lesson…I was trying so hard not to say to myself, “It’s one of those weeks,” or “I just can’t seem to get my act together,” because I know that saying those things would just be “growing” them and end up making it come true, and reveal more missteps and mistakes! 🙂

During that period early last week, when I was trying so hard to make things just go right and to not forget anything else, I ended up forgetting all the blessings hidden within…Let’s try this again:

I had a head cold, which forced me to rest and recuperate.  I am fortunate to have a comfortable home and bed to rest in when I need it, complete with warmth that comes from having employment which allows me to pay for my heat, home, and comfortable furnishings.

I had double-booked guests for a future radio show; I thought I had sent an email to a future guest for my show, only to find out that it was saved in my “drafts” and never made it there; my guest’s phone connection on the radio show broadcast on Monday dropped right when the show started, and then it dropped again during the show….I am blessed to host my own radio show, and I am fortunate to have multiple guests available and willing to be on it!

I had two meetings and subsequently forgot to pick up my daughter on time for her piano lesson.  One of the meetings was a result of an opportunity that I would have only dreamed of a year ago.  The other meeting was for a group that I would have loved to have been a part of a year ago too.  I am blessed to have been given these opportunities.  I never had the opportunity to take piano lessons or have a piano in my home when I was a child.  I am blessed with the opportunity to provide this opportunity to my daughter…And yes, I am so blessed to have children, especially girls, whom I had always wanted!

We are surrounded by abundant blessings always.  Although sometimes it’s hard to find them in the thick of adversity, frustration, doubt, and sadness, they are always there.  Sometimes we can’t see them or appreciate them unless we take time to reflect upon them.

Take some time today to reflect upon the abundant blessings in your life.  You may be surprised at how blessings can be found almost anywhere!

Blessings to you!

 

Photo source: freedigitalphotos.net

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  • Elle says:

    Victor this was fabulous for me. I loved it.

    I call it revision (well I stole that from someone really) but I do this every day with my life. At the end of each day, I revise anything I wasn’t thrilled with. The amazing thing is that as I’ve continued to do this over the years, there is less and less to ‘revise’ until some days I’m at the point when I’m making even the good things better.

    Kudos Victor.

    Love Elle
    xoxo

    • Victor Schueller says:

      Elle,

      I like that idea of “revision,” and it’s compelling that there gets to be less over the years. Great tip and insight! Thank you! 🙂

  • Thank heavens for small blessings Victor…and for the big ones too.
    Be good to yourself
    David

    • Victor Schueller says:

      David,

      Absolutely right — the small blessings, when added up, are quite significant. I do love the big blessings too! 🙂
      Take care!

  • Jodi Chapman says:

    What a great shift, Victor! It would be so easy to continue the downward spiral, especially when you’re not feeling well. But you were conscious of it and were able to turn it around. I love that! And I love that we always have the tools to shift our focus and see the blessing in everything. Beautiful post! I hope you’re feeling better now. 🙂

    • Victor Schueller says:

      Hey Jodi! Got my cards today! Can’t wait to try them out! 🙂

      Yes, we always do have the tools to shift our focus, but awareness of the options or tools is key. Sometimes, because of our beliefs (and observations) we feel we are picking from a limited lot of strategies to deal with difficulties. If we awaken to other possibilities, we have many more options to pick from (and usually a pick of some effective strategies). 🙂

      I am feeling better…Thank you! 🙂 Congrats on your nomination for the “top 50” award! I hope you are one of the final 50! You deserve it!

  • Kenneth Vogt says:

    Sometimes we actively fight reframing our circumstances. “I’ve got a cold and I don’t WANT to find anything good about it.” If we leave that resistance unexamined, the problem tends to stick around. So upon examination we may find we have a cold so we have an excuse to have some down time. Or perhaps we have a cold so some loved one will pay us some attention. Now we have something to be grateful for: some much-needed down time, or perhaps some loving attention. The plus side of this examination is we may now be able to let go of the original problem. Would you prefer your down time or your loving attention without accompanying fatigue and headaches? This is how you get there.

    • Victor Schueller says:

      Kenneth,

      I like how you said “fight reframing our circumstances.” Great point. Sometimes we absolutely fight finding the positive in a negative, thus sticking to the negative pattern. This is a tremendous insight — one I hadn’t thought of. Thanks for stopping by, reading, and contributing! Take care!

  • Vidya Sury says:

    What a wonderful message, Victor!

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