“There are at least a billion people on earth at this moment who would consider their prayers answered if they could trade places with you.” — Sam Harris
I’m grateful for:
• Every breath in and every breath out.
• My mom and dad and all of the rest of my extended family. Those that are with me now as well as those that have passed on.
• All of my ex’s. You’ve seen me at my best and at my worst and have lifted me up and supported me in more ways than I can count. I am truly blessed to have known you and to have had you as a part of my life.
• All of my friends past and present. Friends from high school. Friends from college. Friends from work. Friends from not-work. You are all incredibly important to me and I cherish the memories and the times that we’ve shared.
• All of my students past and present. I’ve learned as much from you as you’ve learned from me.
• All of the things that I’ve learned teaching music the last 30 years. It really is true that ‘if you want to learn, then teach.’ I wouldn’t be the player that I am today if it weren’t for the experience breaking down and clarifying my knowledge for the next generation of musicians.
• Music. Music is freaking awesome! When you’re at your lowest the right song can lift you up in ways that you never imagined. Making music is one of the most powerful things in the world and I am so lucky to be able to make it my living.
I’m also grateful for…
- My body
- My brain
- My talents
- My creativity
- My “mistakes”
- My challenges
- My successes
- My memories
- My life
It’s important for me to acknowledge and remember these things and to capture them in this list, incomplete though it may be.
No matter what I may think about what I should or should not have accomplished at this point in my life, I want to always remember that I am incredibly blessed. I am grateful for all of the experiences that I’ve had up until this point. Even the ones that completely sucked have shaped and made me who I am today.
It’s so easy to get caught up in the things that we think we want that we forget to honor all of the things that we have right now. I know from personal experience that it’s easy to become unmoored and to feel lost and alone in this journey called life. I’ve found that calling to mind the list above helps ground me and bring me back to a more centered place.
May you be inspired to create your own list, and may the rest of this month bring you all that you desire as well as all that you truly need.