Let Fear Ignite Gratitude

When we look around at the situation we are in, the word that comes to mind is uncertainty. We hear it a lot, mostly as a euphemism that we are headed for “uncertain times”.

I’d like to invite you into the notion that our certainty has not been taken from us, primarily because it never existed in the first place.

What has been lifted is our illusion of certainty. Nothing in our lives is permanent and nothing is guaranteed. All of life is cycles of loss and growth, birth and death. We are experiencing death and rebirth on a massive global scale right now, not only in the sense that we are losing members of the human race, but in our personal development, on an economic level, and even in ways we connect with one another. Old ways may have died, but new ways to connect more deeply with one another, ourselves and Source energy are growing in their place. And as we lose our illusion of safety and certainty, we can find new ways to feel safe and secure inside of ourselves.

One of the gifts of the experience is that reminds of our mortality, or our impermanence. That our beautiful and precious lives, which are so fragile, are taken for granted each day. We forget how precious it is until it is threatened. Now we realize how much we have, and we are excited to return to it.

With the illusion of certainty lifted, you may feel uncomfortable, because you have so much that you fear you might lose. My invitation to you is to lean in and explore what you are scared to lose right now. These are the things you are most grateful for.

Allow the fear to shift and ignite gratitude within you. For me, those things are my daughter, my home, my wellness practice, my chosen family, my health. These are the things I am most scared of losing and so they are the things I have right at this moment I am most grateful for. We cannot hold on tightly to them, but we can appreciate them and know we have them for now, and the present moment is all we have anyway.

Now I ask you to find a still place inside of yourself and find what you are certain cannot be taken from you. Your feelings, your joy and anger, your fear, your love, your peace. Your values, your beliefs, and the ideas you hold on to. This is your essence; this is who you are. This is what you can hold on to when the world feels uncertain.

Today’s Affirmation: I am grateful for the essence that I am and the things that I have, and the places and routines I am excited to return to. I am grateful for this gift of life, and grateful for the people and creatures in my home and in my heart. I am grateful for my health and for the safety of others. I trust in this process of loss and regrowth that humanity will as a collective emerge from the other side of this with renewed strength, hope, gratitude, and kindness for one another. Namaste.