Awake in the morning feeling down and tending toward monkey mind? In my family, we call it Irish melancholy (although my non-Irish heritage friends swear it’s broader than that).
And so this morning, I awoke feeling agitated. I knew it could be a case of the Irish melancholies. Or something deeper.
Regardless, I was in no mood to figure out the “why” of this agitation. I do a lot of internal processing and today I just wanted to feel better. Leave the processing for another time. If it’s something deeper, it’ll surely find a way to get my attention again in no time.
My brain began turning. Would yoga do the trick? Yes, but I’m not really in the mood. A walk? Yes, but it’s cold and snowy and I’m really digging the warmth of my bathrobe. Gratitude? Yes, and this would be easy!
Since I tend to run a wee bit late when it comes to thank-you cards, I thought, “Hey, if I write my Christmas thank-yous right now, I bet I’ll feel like a million bucks.” Why put off until February what can make me feel better today, right?
And I was correct. Writing a few thank-yous did the trick. By taking a few minutes to share my gratitude for the thoughtfulness and generosity of others, I settled into my day, sans agitation.
Expressing gratitude is absolutely a gift to others. And it’s important for that reason. It’s an even bigger gift to ourselves. Somehow this focus on what is good in life or on what we appreciate about another person creates a mystical shift inside and makes our world a little bigger and our experience of it a lot safer. And today, it made me happier. Take that, Irish melancholy!
Michael Doyle, the priest from Camden, found a way to combine your twin themes of gratitude and Irish melancholy in the title of his book “It’s a Terrible Day, Thanks Be to God.”
As a matter of fact, I reference that title often! It’s priceless.
I trace my family history so I will know who to blame.
Roy – exactly!