Director of Spiritual Care Jim Andrews
We were talking about human nature when a good friend once jokingly told me that, “our default mode, as human beings, is complaining.” He went on to comment, “ when you get on an elevator with someone you know or have a chat in the hallway, it is usually centered around commiserating about something: the weather, how we are feeling physically, the economy, stress at work, stress at home, etc.” There is a sense of camaraderie in shared pain, I guess. It forms within us a perspective something like, “Things are pretty bad, but we are all in this together!”
But what if we reset our “default mode”? What if we made the conscious effort to notice and savor the lovely things, the things that are going right, the good stuff, the possibilities? How might that influence the content of our conversations with one another? How might that impact our perspective on our lives? It reminds me of a Quero Apache Prayer:
Looking behind I am filled with gratitude.
Looking forward I am filled with vision.
Looking upwards I am filled with strength.
Looking within I discover peace.
Wishing for all of us today – gratitude, vision, strength, and peace!
Have a wonderful week everyone,
Jim