Note to Myself 2018: No. 2

This Note to Myself is only

partly tongue in cheek.

We know from experience 

that too much of a good thing

sometimes can be disgusting. . .

think back to amateur drinking behavior

in college and the hangovers

(or toilet-hugging)

that ensued

and you'll know what I mean.

But with those other kinds of good things,

things without unfortunate after-effects,

we often fail to luxuriate 

and really suck each drop of joy from them.

Sometimes we don't even acknowledge

and celebrate the wonderful things

in our lives.

There's a saying that goes,

"Where attention goes, energy flows."

What we focus on is a signal to the Universe

that we are asking for more of those experiences.

Too often we turn our focus on the problems

and unfortunate experiences in our lives,

rather than on things that bring us joy

or cause tears of gratitude to well up

in our eyes.

Let's make it a practice

to feel joy from our fly-away hair

to the tips of our tingly toes.

Let's look for the silver lining

whenever a dark cloud passes through our lives.

Let's make a daily practice of gratitude,

even if it's just a mental list before we fall asleep

(though it's more powerful if written down

and amplified if written down, then spoken to someone else).

Let's learn to take those first stirrings of worry

or complaint and turn them into focusing on what we want

to happen or what we can choose to manifest by first

imagining, then planning, then taking concrete action.