No Need To Run

Year 8-Day 253: Today, I am grateful I don't have to chase extraordinary moments. 

I loved this quote: 

"I don't have to chase extraordinary moments to find happiness - it's right in front of me if I'm paying attention and practicing gratitude." -Brene Brown

Let's be clear. I am not a runner. Outside of running to the grocery store and Hobby Lobby... I don't run. When I think about "chasing" extraordinary moments, it makes me a little anxious. It sounds like exercise. 

We don't have to chase happiness.  It is a byproduct of paying attention to the little gifts and  practicing gratitude. It changes our perspective one thankful thought at a time. We don't catch it. It grows from a grateful heart. 

There are constant, pounding messages from the media. They tell us we should be dissatisfied. Discontentment is a virus. It effects our souls. It steals the joy from this day. We need to be careful with the messages we invite into our homes and our heads. They sow seeds of jealousy and cause us to covet our neighbor's stuff. 

Stuff is just stuff. It will never make us happy. It will never satisfy our souls. It is the happy little moments in our ordinary days that make us rich. When we offer thanksgiving for the little things, contentment takes root in our hearts and our homes.  

"Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. Point out anything in me that offends you, and lead me along the path of everlasting life." -Psalm 139:23-24

Know me. Test me. Know my thoughts. Get rid of anything that offends our God. Right? When we hold tightly to a spirit of discontentment, we miss the blessings. We miss the sweetness of this day. Every day has its gifts and joys, but we tend to focus on the trials. Reshaping our thoughts and honing our vision so we clearly see today's goodness is a powerful tool.

We can celebrate the blessing of enough. Enough milk for the meal. Enough flour for the recipe. Enough fresh water to quench your thirst. Enough gas to get to work. Enough toilet paper for the day (oh those Covid lessons learned). 

Enough is really quite extraordinary. 

Today, I am grateful I don't have to chase extraordinary moments.