Still Great, Still Full
Five years and three days ago, I wrote and published the words below.
The date was November 22, 2017.
Do you remember what you were doing that day?
I do.
I was making a decision and staking my claim.
There was a path I had been eyeing for some time.
A path I thought was reserved for others more deserving.
I was a forty-seven-year-old math teacher, dreaming about being a writer.
Perhaps I was having a mid-life crisis.
Or maybe there was a long-suppressed writer trapped deep down inside.
Maybe that writer decided he had waited long enough and decided to take action.
All I remember was that I had a nudge to just begin.
So I did.
With the words at the bottom of this page.
It's not anything special, but it is.
These are simply a few words of gratitude and encouragement.
And with these words, I took a step forward.
These words took me into the unfamiliar territory of "being a writer."
I had this idea for some time.
And am grateful I took the step.
An invisible blog post on an invisible website.
A "young" writer just starting out.
Poorly equipped.
At the time, my greatest strength was just enough nerve to take the first step.
And here I am, still stepping forward.
Doing what I've wanted to do for so long.
Mastery of a craft is said to take about ten years or ten thousand hours.
Lots of deliberate practice.
Years of working "in the dark" behind closed doors.
And in theory, I'm about halfway there.
The beauty is that I will never arrive.
And the beauty is that I am already always arriving.
I look at the wisdom in those simple words of gratitude and encouragement.
I just wrote these words, "it's as though I've been writing to myself."
But I take that back.
I have been writing to myself.
And for myself.
And over these past five years, the rewards have been great.
Not in terms of readership or any financial or success, but in joy.
From doing what I love to do if only for my audience of one.
One of my favorite quotes is from David Steindl-Rast:
“In daily life, we must see
that it is not happiness that makes us grateful,
but gratefulness that makes us happy.”
Looking back on that first blog from so many years ago, I smile.
I am aware of the good in my life.
I am thankful.
I am grateful.
Thank you for the advice, forty-seven-year-old Thom.
And thanks for taking that step.
Today is a great day to step back, take a look, and just be.
Be filled with the present moment.
Be thankful.
Be grateful.
Be aware and appreciative of the good in your life.
Take a deep, slow breath, smile, and let it out.
And be.
Then do it again.
Take a deep, slow breath, smile, and let it out.
And be.
Take a moment to relax and clear your mind.
Fill yourself up with right now.
It's great to be full of right now.
Being aware of the good in your life is a satisfying, gratifying, and healthy practice.
It requires a little extra focus, but we can always find someone or something to appreciate.
Today, with every deep breath, slow down, smile, and be grateful.
Be intentional and give it a try.
Be thankful.
Be grateful.
Enjoy the day!
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