Earthlight Magazine / Books / Home
Copyright © 1996 by Joan Borysenko
All rights reserved. Inquiries should be addressed to
Twelve Star Publishing, P.O. Box 123, Jefferson, MD 21755
Earthlight Magazine / Books
/ Home
Copyright © 1996 by Joan Borysenko
All rights reserved. Inquiries should be addressed to
Twelve Star Publishing, P.O. Box 123, Jefferson, MD 21755
One clear winter's day I decided to take a walk in the
tiny Colorado wilderness town where I live. The sky was a shade
of azure blue peculiar to the higher elevations of the Rockies.
The early March sun poured like liquid gold through the limbs
of tall spruce, creating dancing patterns of light in the delicate
crystals of freshly fallen snow. Mountain peaks rose majestically
in sculpted layers of greens and greys, piercing clouds that hung
like fairy mist in the enchanted valleys below.
Marching resolutely down the road, I was all but blind to the
extraordinary beauty. Attempting to relax before driving down
the mountain to undergo a breast biopsy at the local hospital,
I was actually reviewing the endless menu of dire medical possibilities
that might materialize. As my mind slid into well-worn patterns
of awfulizing, it gathered momentum. Not only might my body be
in mortal danger, but my life wasn't working so well in other
ways either. Not only did the glass seem half empty, but the remaining
water appeared downright polluted!
My youngest son, although nearly 22, was terribly upset by the
recent separation of my husband of nearly twenty-four years and
myself. My fault, of course. I felt overworked and burned out.
Also my fault. What kind of crazy life had I managed to create,
especially when I am supposed to be some kind of role model for
others? Guilt, fear, anger, and disappointment joined the cacophony
of inner voices accompanying me down the road on my attempt at
a mindful relaxation walk.
I was rudely awakened from my toxic reverie by a searing pain
in my hindquarters. Perfectly focused on my well-rehearsed mental
movies, I had been completely unaware of the speedy approach of
a large German Shepherd, who bounded up and bit me unceremoniously
on the behind. My mental movie department immediately began to
run a feature film starring my bare buttocks being sutured in
the Boulder Community Hospital emergency room, while I was simultaneously
being injected with huge doses of tetanus toxoid and rabies vaccine.
I would, no doubt, miss my biopsy and have to undergo that second
round of medical torture on another day.
I reached down into my pants, expecting to encounter a sticky
mass of blood. Strangely, my hand emerged perfectly clean. Energized
by sudden hope, I slipped behind a bush and pulled my pants down.
While a large red welt, framed by the impression of a perfect
set of canine teeth, graced my derriere, the skin was magically
unbroken. With a yelp of pure joy, I pulled up my pants and burst
forth from the bushes with a whoop of uncensored gratitude. No
emergency room. No tetanus shots. No slow death from rabies. I
could get to the biopsy on time. Lucky me.
Suddenly, the entire scene seemed hilariously funny. The dog was
transformed from a nasty cur into a Divine Messenger. "Wake
up, you silly human! Feel the sun in your face and the wind in
your hair. You are alive and the world is beautiful. The mountains
are alive and the day is young. There are endless possibilities
to experience and worlds to create."
The veil of forgetfulness dropped from my eyes, and I suddenly
found myself overwhelmed with gratitude for the gift of life.
Every breath was possible. Every day was a miracle. The stresses
I had obsessed about seemed like cleverly constructed challenges
that beckoned me to create life more mindfully and authentically.
Peace settled around me like a down quilt, and I felt held up
by unseen arms.
Gratitude is indeed like a gearshift that can move our mental
mechanism from obsession to peacefulness, from stuckness to creativity,
from fear to love. The ability to relax and be mindfully present
in the moment comes naturally when we are grateful. One of the
most delightful aspects of my Jewish heritage is the saying of
Brachot, blessings or prayers of thanksgiving throughout the day.
These are praises of God for creating a world of infinite wonder
and possibility. There is a blessing upon seeing a star or a rainbow.
There is a blessing for the gifts of food, wine, and water. There
is even a blessing upon going to the bathroom for internal organs
that function so well! I like to add impromptu blessings throughout
the day. Thanks to the Infinite Creative Universe, the Unknown
Mystery we call God, for creating German Shepherds to wake us
up at the most unlikely times!
I once attended a Charismatic Catholic healing service during
which the priest led us in a prayer of gratitude for all the things
in our life that didn't need healing. Thank God the German Shepherd
didn't break the skin. Thank God the breast biopsy was negative.
Thank God I am healthy and able to remember - at least from time
to time - that gratitude is the key to peace, joy, and creative
choice. May you also be blessed with the gift of remembering.
Take a moment tonight, before you go to bed, and give thanks for
five things in your life that don't need healing. Throughout the
day, when you find yourself stuck in awfulizing about the things
that seem wrong, remember to say a prayer of gratitude for all
the things that are right.
Joan Borysenko, Ph.D. is a scientist, therapist, best selling
author and popular speaker. Her latest book is The Power of the
Mind to Heal. Contact her through Hay House, 310-605-0601.
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