A while ago, I wrote about a spirituality lesson on Gratitude suggesting that we practice "saying thank you for happy and challenging experiences, for people, animals, things, art, memories and dreams." This lesson proposed that we set up a schedule to focus on a monthly topic for gratitude so my husband and I have posted on our calendar a Gratitude Focus topic each month so we can actually act on it. I have added to that by posting a blog each month.
This is the last of the Gratitude Focus topics. We've actually practiced this lesson for a year! Personally, the act of focusing on these topics have made me more aware of the various things in life that bless our lives.
Opportunities can viewed both negatively and positively. Sometimes, we focus on the "one that got away" and regret that we didn't grab the opportunity that planted itself in front of us. Instead, we should be thinking of those opportunities and happenstances that we did act on.
If I reminisce about my early adulthood, I often think what would have happened if I made that choice instead of this? What would have happened if I hadn't skipped my senior year in high school (because I had enough credits from summer school classes -- not because I was moved forward)? What would have happened if I hadn't divorce my first husband? What would have happened if I hadn't settle down with my second husband? What would have happened if we didn't bond with my sister and her daughter to form a tight relationship?
Every time I do, I am happy with how my life has moved in directions I never anticipated. Opportunities present themselves not only as moments to choose which way to go forward (such as a new job or house) but, also, as reactions to events and other people. My mother's early death really impacted our family. We all reacted differently and were impacted heavily. If I think about it today, I realize that mom's children learned quickly to become resourceful and, for my sister and me especially, discover how important we are to each other. That "opportunity", itself, has enriched my life and has increased my happiness in ways I can never describe. My husband, too, has been richly blessed with our relationship with my sister and her family.
For that reason, I don't look for opportunities per se. Instead, I contemplate deeply as each comes along and let it lead me to become a better person. I am grateful for all of the opportunities that have come before me.