Thankful

It would be an understatement to say life has been a blur over the course of the past week or so here at the ranch.

As I mentioned in a recent post I lost my job or in my own view of it, my job lost me.

I could almost hear the Von Trapp children singing – “So long, farewell, auf Wiedersehen, goodbye” as my car departed the parking lot on D-Day!

There has been a boat load of things to do to position myself for the next act on the stage called our life.

• File for unemployment compensation – done!

• Start and continue in earnest the search for another position – work in progress!

• Network with others where possible – on it like an Easter bonnet!

• Look at the monthly budget to get a perspective of how things are stacking up – dealing with it!

• Rolling with the emotional tide coming in and going out – doing OK!

• Praying for wisdom and direction – a moment by moment adventure!

• Take a few moments for myself to regroup – love it!

• Being grateful for family and friends – whose timely calls, emails, texts, and prayers have been more than a sustaining force for the both of us during this transition!

As a master violinist fine tunes his or her instrument, so it has been with me lately. There is a fine tuning process occurring within me which transcends a lot of things.

We all take things for granted, I am no exception when it comes to this.

None of us are really guaranteed anything.

Life in the present moment is all which is afforded to us.

On our first trip to the grocery store since the speed bump in our road appeared, certain feelings began to surface.

Although we are fairly conservative in our spending habits, I became more aware of how others who might be less fortunate, might experience grocery shopping trips every time they go to the store.

I began to get a glimpse of what it might feel like to be in the checkout line without the certainty of knowing if the bill can be paid.

Tears began to well up as I stood there to pay our bill, money in hand.

I started to see through the lens of others more keenly. Yesterday morning I had to make a quick stop at Wally World.

I had to remind myself – “If it was not on the list it was not being purchased.”

In the personal care section I crossed paths with a lady I thought I knew.

It was hard to tell as she had on a pink cap and I could not make out her features.

I roamed the store to get what we needed and proceeded to the lone checkout line open.

The lady I saw earlier was at the register in the midst of price checking a number of items on sale at other local stores, petitioning the Wally World folks to match or beat the price.

I kid you not, those of us in line waited about twenty-five minutes for the shopping comparison saga to end while the number of folks backed up at the register steadily increased.

The guy in front of me was getting a little tense. I started to get impatient and immediately got checked on it. From what I could gather about the lady I now recognized, her need to pinch the pennies was not from a position of complete need. She simply was a conscious shopper. More power to her, I guess.

I started to think about people who might go through a grocery line and are dependent on every bit of savings which can be squeezed out of their budget.

Rather than get agitated, I chatted with another person I knew behind me and hummed along to the Christmas song playing overhead to redirect my thoughts.

Fine tuning! Lesson learned!

During this momentary lapse in my employment status I find myself becoming more sensitive to the needs of others as I can readily envision switching roles with them.

Some of the fine tuning is painful and falls under the label of “gut check”.

I find myself steeped in moments of gratefulness as I take a long, hard look inside.

In a way, I am becoming more aware. We are less than a week away from Thanksgiving Day, parades, and football games. It is the time of year where we may feel obligated to “give thanks”.

Why not make it a moment-by-moment event in our lives?

A poignant reminder helps me:

“Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus.” (1 Thessalonians 5:18 NLT)

You may not share my beliefs or how I view the world. That’s OK.

However, cultivating an attitude of thankfulness and gratitude most certainly can only do one good. It lightens up your world. Let’s practice!

Me first.

“I am thankful for the apple pie our friend is bringing over for dinner tonight!”

Your turn. Go ahead, spit it out. Let’s leave next Thursday out of it and defer to this moment.

What are you thankful for right now?