My very first thought as I awoke this morning was that I was so happy to be alive. Grateful for this day. I do not always wake up like this, but today it was clear to me that simply waking-up was not guaranteed, and I was immediately filled with joy.
I had no idea what the weather was like, or the day would bring, but it seemed completely irrelevant.
After brushing my teeth, I came downstairs to see the door open and it had been raining. I was so happy to see that the grass, trees, flowers and birds had all been given a delicious dose of life-giving water, and again felt gratitude.
I sat in my office chair to begin my day and noticed how good the chair felt, and how nice my computer was. It’s not a new chair or a new computer, but they are such a pleasure and blessing to have. I understand that I could not even do my job if it weren’t for these items.
The Wife let our dog back in from going outside, and he trotted his way into my office to say good morning. How good it was to see his happy face coming to start my day!
Moments later, the Wife brought me a tasty hot cup of coffee and gave me my good morning kiss. A sweet loving kiss that possessed all of her love for me, and a happiness that I was here for her to kiss.
My day then proceeded to the normal tasks of checking email and such. But I was aware of several large bills that were due to hit, and needed to go online and check the bank accounts.
The large bills had indeed come through, and little was left in the bank. But how happy I was to know that I was not overdrawn!
After an hour or so, I went to sit and do my morning meditation. I was feeling so happy and grateful that I could barely get myself to sit. But I sat down on the cushion just filled with an abundance of gratitude. And I certainly was grateful that I could sit on the cushion today. Loving myself, my Family, my friends, the World, all seemed to hold a deeper meaning and sense of connectedness.
Suffering for me and in this World has not been eliminated. But the joy in this life and this World are abundant and ever-present. And I can see that it only takes our personal awareness to unleash the power of this present moment. To see clearly that regardless of external circumstances, we can always be happy to be alive.
