Taking Life For Granted?
August 18, 2011 at 11:39 am Danielle B 4 comments
So I heard that it’s best to blog a little every day than try to come up with long posts now and then. Revolutionary, right. So, I’m going to try that approach. As I mentioned before, I’ve become what some might call a “professional blogger” in the sense that I am paid to write blogs for other people all day long. So thus, this poor Semicolon blog gets abandoned. But maybe these new blogging tips I ran across may help.
So for today’s quick post, I am going to throw out something that’s been on my mind a lot – taking things for granted. We say it all the time, “don’t take it for granted.” From our electricity to the few years we have with our children as babies – our culture is known for this ‘don’t take for granted’ catch phrase. But when I was doing my hair the other day, in my air-conditioned house, with a baby crawling around my feet, I tried to figure out what that meant. How could I not take for granted in that moment my conveniences and my blessings. I wasn’t wanting to take anything for granted, but was I doing so by mindlessly using something or going about my day without really considering the blessings in it all? Deep thoughts for a blog about poop, I know.
So, here’s what I’ve come to the conclusion with so far:
- We all don’t want to take things for granted.
- We all do take things for granted.
- We usually don’t take things for granted on purpose.
- Being mindful of something is a way to not take something for granted.
- Offering thanksgiving or stepping out to show appreciation for something is a way to not take things for granted.
So – that’s what I’ve got so far. I’ve been through enough life experience to know to be thankful for each day, and that each day is a gift. But this concept of not taking it for granted really has me wondering what that practically means. Ring in on this with me, because I’m really trying to figure it out. How do you NOT take things for granted?
Entry filed under: Everything Colon. Tags: babies, electricity, granted, life, ponderings.
Semicolon Stories 
1.
Belle Piazza (aka nwgirl) | August 19, 2011 at 4:48 pm
For me, NOT taking things for granted means stepping back, slowing down and thinking about what is taking place in that very moment. If I’m out in the garden pulling weeds, I may sit down near our fire circle, take a deep breath of air, feel the warm sun on my face and the breeze in the air and just realize how beautiful and wonderous nature is.
If I’m hanging out with friends, like say…..oh a weekend at Lake George….I look at the persons face I’m speaking with and think to myself ‘months and even years from now – these are the moments I will look back on and treasure for a lifetime – enjoy them’.
Instead of always rushing around to get my chores done, I’ll walk away from the dust and clutter and play a board game with my kids.
I know that to maintain friendships, they need time and attention and nourishment, just like my garden. So I make it a point to call, write or better yet, schedule a time where I can see my friends in person for some one on one time.
I don’t think we can ‘live and fully appreciate’ every waking moment of our lives – it’s just not realistic. We have to break it down into smaller, more managable pieces. We don’t have to fully enjoy every hour in a 24 hour day, but to find time to schedule in smaller increments of awareness and joy is managable for anyone.
2.
Danielle B | August 20, 2011 at 10:23 pm
I love your response, Belle. Thanks so much for weighing in. You’re awesome.
3.
Elizabeth Ditty | August 22, 2011 at 8:26 am
One thing I’ve been trying to do is create mental triggers. Gretchen Rubin, for instance, recently suggested on her blog to pause at thresholds to buildings. I thought that was an excellent idea and decided to incorporate it — and then proceeded to never remember or even notice I’d crossed a threshold until hours after, if at all. Typical, eh? 🙂 But I’m making an effort to at least notice, and then to take a second to center myself when I do. So little routines like that — whenever I encounter a given thing, training myself to let it trigger a moment of coming back to being present — is one practical strategy I’m using to incorporate a little more mindfulness into my everyday life.
4.
Danielle B | August 22, 2011 at 9:53 am
I just want to watch you stopping in front of buildings and looking up. 🙂 Thanks for the thoughts, Ditty. Intriguing as always.