Word of The Week

Gratitude - (n) the state of being grateful: THANKFULNESS

This week's word is brought to you by the sheer annoyance draped over what would be a rather cheerful disposition.

One lesson that I have truly learned the hard way as a student here at The Ohio State University is that "Misery Loves Company." I can't think of how many times I've heard or had to be a part of conversations that were full of nothing but complaints. I feel like I actually was willingly an attendee of these pity parties until I realized exactly what was happening. During a conversation with my mama where I was breaking down a lot of the things that were going on around me during my Junior year, she said, "Jessalaine, the worst thing you can do for yourself is surround yourself with people that feel sorry for themselves." I definitely heard what she said but I definitely didn't change the group of people I was hanging around...at least not immediately. I consider myself to be a very caring individual and I want to help out anyone that I can and I feel that I attempt that more often than not. So I don't mind hearing about things that may be getting to people because maybe I can say some words of encouragement that will help them get past whatever is holding them down. However, what can you do when you start sounding like a broken record? I'm getting tired of running around the same territory (issues) in my own life, and I'm finding it hard to keep running around the same territory of those closest to me as well. There is no progress in that and as I mentioned in a previous post, right now I'm only concerned with PROGRESS.

Like I said, I used to be a consenting attendee of these complaining sessions. In some ways I think that I felt more relieved because at least I got to talk about what was weighing me down. But at the end of the night when I laid my head down there were no solutions, only those same problems that I had been speaking about moments earlier floating around my head. There was nothing proactive in these little pity parties that we were so comfortable in throwing for ourselves. I feel that is what held me back so much this past year and a half of my life. So once I realized what was going on....how I was so down about all the negative things flying around...I stopped and realized ALL THE GOOD that surrounded me too. I decided to put my energy into the beauty and the blessings in my life. That way when the negative pushed on me a little and maybe even knocked me down, I had put so much energy into the good & positive that the negative couldn't keep me down long and I could get back up and start working on changing the negative to positives...I could get past whatever was hurting me because I saw all the things around me and in my life that brought a smile to my face and encouraged me to keep it moving because there are more good things down your path.

Everything I'm grateful for, makes me want to cry because I am that GRATEFUL. I'm even grateful for all the great things that have already been preordained as mine but I have not been allowed to see yet. I don't think a 'weight' should be assigned to individuals problems. But I do know that in the last three months alone, I have gone through some stuff I never would imagine that I would have to go through. I got arrested and I'm even facing a trial date now because they want me to plead to an act I know I did not commit. This has been hanging over my head since the weekend before Christmas...literally hanging over my head, but I feel that I have not yet allowed it to break me. I don't even give that situation the energy it wants because I know that GOD has brought me THIS FAR in life, through trials and tribulations and many blessings, and He isn't about to leave me now. Throughout all of this crap coming at me...I'm still so grateful and happy to be alive and happy that I'm making moves to change the situations of those I love the most.

We waste so much of our life being miserable and we are the only ones making ourselves miserable because we have the ultimate power to remove ourselves from these situations that cause us strife. So many less than desirable situations came my way this week alone, but I didn't have to complain to anyone because every day I was reminded of the beauty that surrounded me and the great things that were in my life. I'm so grateful for the things I'm grateful for because they give me an opportunity to reside in a place of joy. I think when you find yourself getting down about a specific situation or situations, you should literally hit your brain's pause button and start counting all the things and reasons you have to be grateful. If you need help, let the number one thing you're grateful for be that you were able to wake up that morning with full use of your body's capabilities...because some people don't get that luxury morning after morning. Let it flow from there.

Let's make a commitment to be more grateful, because things could always be worse. Show some gratitude to the life that you have been given. Because in the blink of any eye that life could be gone. Show gratitude to the people, places, and things that your are thankful for...because they could be gone one day too.

It's cool to talk about the things that are getting to you with your friends because that is one of the things friends are for. You feel relief once you've shared what you're going through with someone that will understand you. However, only solutions and productive advice should be the result of those kinds of conversations. However, if your friends aren't helping you overcome the situations you are bringing to them by being proactive and giving productive advice...then you probably should look into changing the friend or friends you go to with problems.

When people are shown appreciation (gratitude) they feel great about themselves or what they have done. So allow yourself to feel great and show yourself some gratitude.


Let's use our lives more wisely :)

Be Thankful,
Much Love,
Jessalaine