This exercise is quite challenging: I tried to write this post a few hours ago, but I gave up. Maybe I gave up because of my depression; maybe I gave up because the exercise is inherently difficult (I doubt this reason); maybe I gave up because I am so pessimistic that I am blind to the things for which I am grateful (I strongly doubt this reason); maybe I gave up because my current life is exceptionally bleak; or maybe I gave up because I feel that the things I wanted to write about were not valid. I am honestly not sure why this is difficult, but I suspect that the difficulty can help make the results more dramatic.
Today, I am grateful for three specific people who have helped me during the last couple of years.
Joy is an amazing person who has the most perfect name. She is so loving, caring, accepting, and full of life that there are literally thousands of people around the world who are conscious of the fact that their lives are enriched because of her. Super powers such as flight or invisibility are impossible, but Joy has super powers.
Like Joy, I met the second person through Lindy Hop dancing–many years ago. Over the years, she has been generous with her time, knowledge, and kindness.
I have known the third person for even longer: well over 20 years. I have learned many hard lessons in the last few years: too many of them are about the unreliability of other people. This friend, however, is helping me to learn a powerful, and positive, lesson: despite the cruelty, indifference, and hypocrisy of most people, our species is not doomed as long as we have people who are compassionate and willing to act on their compassion. Said differently, and more specifically, as my life became more difficult, the vast majority of people who I believed would help me, did not help me; and more importantly, the vast majority of the help I have received has come from people who are helping me primarily because of what is in their heart, rather than because of external factors such as societal norms. (Actually, all three of the people I mentioned today are well described by what I just wrote.)
It was difficult for me to start writing this post, and I struggled through the entire thing, but I am aware that my mood is slightly more positive now that I have finished writing. I very much want the effects of this exercise to be long lasting.
