WHEN IN DOUBT, SAY THANK YOU
- Joy Leccese
- Sep 18, 2023
- 2 min read
THERE are days when you just know that it’s the same old, same old ahead of you with your first cuppa joe, right? No “Jump Outta Bed with Gusto” (or even Gutsy motivation) to take on the world. It’s just you, getting up and getting on with it. Brava! That’s exactly what it takes.
But in order to make the day your own, you (we) have to have a way to claim our lives in the moment we’re in, in the situation we’re in. As a mom of a TBI survivor, I have a treasure trove of little memes that work for me when my monkey mind wants to take me to the jungle of old trauma residues, filled with anger and resentment about the tragedy of what happened to my kid. In the words of Nancy Reagan, “Just Say No!” I could go there, but I’ve learned not to.
Monkey Mind is a real thing: it’s our magnificent brains riding the train of habit, and in this case, thought habit. Brains love familiarity because what’s known and familiar feels safe. Never mind that the thought train will take you down the path of woe-is-me or why-me and a room full of pity pots. If that’s what it takes to keep us safe, the brain is going to offer that up for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Oh and a nighttime snack when we’re tired and crabby after a long day.
Turn that train around! Or rather, get OFF that train with a simple one-step method: STOP. Breathe. Say NO, and then say THANK YOU. Thank you for your ability to stop the train. Thank you for what is good in your life. Thank you for being able to get up and choose how to live your day, your way. You get to choose. No matter where you are or what is facing you today, there is something - however small - that you can be grateful for. Find that one thing, and say thank you. And then do that again, and again, and again. And pretty soon your cup is full of lots of small things that you may have overlooked.
Can you think of ten things right now that you are grateful for? I’ll tell you a simple and silly one right now: I’m typing on my iPad and looking for the emoji button. Nope, none to be found. However, I accidentally hit the mini-globe button instead of the shift button, and VOILA! There is the emoji chart! 🤩 Now I have my favorite digital-world toy to insert wherever I am! Thank you, Universe!
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