Hokey Pokey Wednesday: Gratitude in a Different Light

Gratitude is a funny thing. It kind of slips up on you.

I used to hold so many grudges against the people who hurt me. I knew they weren’t going to apologize, but I was stuck in the heated mire of my rage.

It was my chiropractor who came up with the solution. (Dr. Daniel Silver in Rockville Centre, NY, if you happen to be in the area.)

“When people hurt you, thank them.”

“THANK THEM???”

“They’ve given you a life experience that will help you grow. Thank them, and move on.”

He is quite the guru.

Now I had the answer, but implementing it took time, and guts. I tried meditating, but wound up sending silent curses to those who had wounded me.

Then one day I woke up and said, “Thank you.”

I really felt grateful. I don’t even know why. Maybe I was just fed up with sitting in my angry chair. Someone on Facebook wrote the other day, “Build a bridge and get over it.” Yeah. It was like I’d constructed my own route across the pain.

If I knew the exact formula I could write a self-help book and made a fortune. But I’ll have to settle for a free self-help blog.

All I can say it that when I said “thank you” and meant it, the heavens opened and smiled on me. I felt a load being lifted from my chest. I swear, I heard music like in the movies.

At the risk of sounding like a religious zealot, I know God (or whatever you want to call the universal force) led me to this moment of liberation. In fact, like Dorothy, I had the power all along. I just had be brave enough to use it. Because gratitude is a leap of faith.