Living Life in Gratitude

I have taken some time off from the blog to be a new mom. I decided to start writing again as the New Year is about to begin, and I wanted to share a revelation that I have had about the river of life for my first blog. First, I would like to explain this river. It has many big rocks, hole, eddies and lines. My husband and I had the opportunity to take up white water kayaking and joined a group back in our home state of West Virginia. This is where I learned about the flow of the river. I learned how to read the flow and stay away from the big holes and rocks, how to catch an eddy and follow the line of the river. A hole in the river represents an area where the water is going upstream. There is some type of obstruction that is usually a rock that is right below the surface. The water pours over the rock and creates a recirculation of the water. An eddy is also behind a rock or in a bend in the river that also goes up stream, but is calm and serves as a place to rest. The line is something a seasoned kayaker can find through careful observation. It is the path to take through a rapid. In the beginning, I found myself rolling over in a rapid. I would roll over and pull at my skirt and pop out of the kayak and swim down river while holding on to my kayak and paddle. However, I gradually learned to roll up in my kayak by practicing in a pool and then the river. Many kayakers that take a season off find that they have to continue to practice or they will forget easily. My husband and I kayaked with this group as much as we could for several years. It was a very peaceful time in our lives because we were living our lives in gratitude without even really knowing it. Fast forward two years, and I am now living in North Carolina. My husband received a promotion and in a blink of an eye we were settling into our new home in Johnston County, and I was starting my new job as the executive director of the Johnston Health Foundation. Within four months, I found out I was pregnant. I couldn’t be happier, right? The river of life was beginning to flow faster, and my kayak was rolling over in some holes and crashing into a few rocks. I can blame it on the hormones of pregnancy, or I can blame it on forgetting to practice my kayak roll. I definitely felt like I was floating down the river without a paddle or even a boat for that matter. I decided to catch an eddy and rest and figure out where the line was in the river. Through reflection, I realized that my outlook on life affected my entire reality. Kayaking had been an outlet that helped me accept the changes and stresses in life. It taught me about the true beauty and power of living in the moment and that if I could navigate the river and take on that challenge, I could get through anything. However, my final realization hit home. I realized that I was naturally living life in gratitude as a kayaker and that a physical and challenging endeavor is my key to balance. I needed to find a way to get it back. My husband and I had also taken up running several years ago and ran in two half marathons. I decided to take on the challenge of running while competing with my past running times and distances. There is something about doing a sport or an activity that pushes me beyond my prior notions of my capabilities. It reminds me of how strong I am, how simple life can be and that I am very fortunate to have had many opportunities in life. We each need to take time and really look at our lives and how lucky we really are. When we live life in gratitude, our lives can feel simple and meaningful. Our connections with others will deepen and there even seems to be more time in the day to get things done. We all want to give back to our communities and make a difference. If we live life in gratitude, we can give back even more. Take some time this year to find that outlet that reminds you to live life more simply and with gratitude. You certainly won’t be sorry.