Thanksgiving morning, I woke up to find this message in my inbox and scoffed out loud: "If you are a writer and you are not writing, somebody is missing their blessing."— Arthur Bronner III
Who in the world would miss what I have to write? And when in the world did I classify myself "a writer" anyway? I went about my morning without turning on the TV and do you know what I accidentally found myself doing? Writing!
I had a list of six "impossible things" on my to-do list that particular weekend. As of Saturday night, I had done all of nothing on my list. I woke up the next morning knowing I would hate myself even more if I didn't do at least one of those onerous tasks.
The weight of doing nothing had me crawling on the ground (more like lying on the couch) and feeling angry with myself. So that morning, I thought I would just sit still and do “just one thing.” I ended up doing three impossible things. I wrote up my daycare newsletter. Then I submitted another batch of columns. Then I advertised to see if I could find someone who wanted or would haul away what I consider to be garbage.
Life feels so heavy right now and I know it is my own fault. I haven't been writing because I don't like the sound of my own thoughts. Then I woke up to this message and realized the person who is missing the "blessing" of my writing the most is ME.
It was Thanksgiving and I had not sat still and focused on gratitude. I shifted my energy into trying to pick myself up from under all that I am not doing.
There is a blessing within each of the tasks I have been putting off. A daycare newsletter to write means I have not only an income but an audience (my daycare families) who appreciate seeing and reading what I have to say about their children's days at daycare. A deadline of columns to submit means I have editors who believe what I have to write is worth sharing with their readers. The fact that I have what I consider to be garbage, which may have some value to someone else, means I have too much. I have a garage to clean, which means not only do I have a house to live in, but I have a garage to shelter the car I am fortunate to have. And I also have an excessive amount of "stuff" stored within the four walls of that garage. The unfinished painting jobs I have been putting off mean I have the privilege of owning a home. The fact that I still have the mess of cleaning up after the installation of a new basement window and window well means I have the means to maintain our home.
All I need is energy, enthusiasm and ambition. None of which costs a penny. I am rich in everything that is important, yet I seem to be poor at appreciating what I have. These are not the thoughts of a writer who is celebrating Thanksgiving. These are the thoughts of someone who has more than they need and have forgotten how to be grateful for the small blessings that mark each and every day.
Is it possible to have too much? I believe that to be true. My burden is carrying more than I can appreciate. Material "stuff" is weighing me down. I am grateful for the blessing of abundance. Now I must find a way to go out and spread it around so I don't have to carry it alone.
