“There are two ways to live: you can live as if nothing is a miracle, or you can live as if everything is a miracle.” –Albert Einstein
The other day I started writing in a gratitude journal again, right as I was overcoming a cold. After I wrote my boyfriend’s name, my family, and Tiny Buddha, I wrote “breathing through both nostrils.”
A few days prior, when my right side was all stuffed up, I wasn’t doing that so well.
It occurred to me then that when I’d kept a gratitude journal before, I never once expressed by appreciation for the ability to breathe through both sides of my nose—and yet I’ve done that on the vast majority of my days.
In fact, I’ve likely been able to breathe through both nostrils on over 11,500 days, if you assume I’ve been stuffed up for no more than 10 days during each year of my life.
It never occurred to me appreciate this because I took it for granted.
Yet in that moment when I wrote it down, I truly felt a sense of relief and joy about the simple act of breathing properly.
I wondered then: How many other outlets for gratitude and joy do I ignore on a daily basis? I asked myself:
How often do you stop to recognize how comfortable your desk chair is? When’s the last time you stared out the sliding glass doors and appreciated that you live in a well-lit space? How regularly do you log onto the Internet and marvel at the wonders of modern technology?
We live our lives surrounded by tiny wonders. In any given moment, there is a multitude of sounds, sights, and sensations to experience and savor.
It’s easy to forget these things are gifts, especially when we’re caught up in our heads, dwelling on what went wrong, worrying about what might go wrong, or finding things wrong with ourselves and our circumstances instead of really being present.
When we’re able to seep into the moment, suddenly we remember how fortunate we are to be here, breathing, sharing this great big beautiful world.
We’re inevitably going to have dark days, when life feels more like a tragedy than a miracle. But we can trust that when we’re ready to appreciate the light, we’ll find it. It’s always there. It’s everywhere.
Photo by Wonderlane
About Lori Deschene
Lori Deschene is the founder of Tiny Buddha. She started the site after struggling with depression, bulimia, and toxic shame so she could recycle her former pain into something useful and inspire others do the same. She recently created the Breaking Barriers to Self-Care eCourse to help people honor their needs—so they can feel their best, be their best, and live their best possible life. If you’re ready to start thriving instead of merely surviving, you can learn more and get instant access here.
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Though I run this site, it is not mine. It's ours. It's not about me. It's about us. Your stories and your wisdom are just as meaningful as mine.