Visit Marlurita for a Cup of Gratitude
Imagine this: you’re on your balcony, savoring a beer, leaning back as you watch the sun slowly set behind the mountains. Then, disaster strikes — your mobile slips out of your pocket and tumbles to its inevitable demise. You try to reassure yourself that it’s only a phone. However, the following day, as you begin the process of reinstalling all your apps, you start to feel the slow creep of negativity.
I can’t believe this happened
How stupid
I am now wasting so much time
I loved that phone
On and on…
Yes, indeed, this happened to me the other night, and I must admit I had a fondness for my phone. I’m one of those still hanging on to a Blackberry, and, in fact, it was my recently purchased Blackberry KeyONE that met its premature demise.
I mean, seriously, life did not come to an end, right? At that moment of the phone-to-street impact, a memory from my last trip to New York crossed my mind. I recalled witnessing a woman’s reaction when her Tall Soy Half-Caf Caramel Latte was served without whipped cream.
It made me reflect on how easily and quickly we can lose sight of our true blessings: food, shelter, the clothes on our back, our health, relationships, a new day, the simple pleasure of breathing, a good cup of coffee (perhaps that’s just me), and more.
The antidote to taking life for granted is gratitude. Gratitude, as most have heard by now, has significant positive effects on all aspects of our lives. It is the simplest way to reconnect with the present moment, restore balance, and increase positivity. Gratitude reminds us that we are enough and have enough.
I am fortunate to reside in a quaint Italian Borgo, where I visit Marlurita’s two-room house once a week for a “cup of gratitude.” Unfortunately, she passed away in 1978, so it tends to be a rather one-sided conversation. Hmm, perhaps she has my Blackberry now. Well, I doubt it, for I was informed that, despite technological advancements, she chose to continue living as she always had because “it was enough.”
Folks in town say she gave thanks every day for what she had: her donkey that shared her bedroom for warmth, fresh hay in her mattress, wonderful friends, good food, a coffin placed under her bed ready for when her time came, and her single light bulb. I visit her house as part of my gratitude practice, usually after my Friday morning run, and it’s one of the many things I’m grateful for.
How often do we take our lives and what we have for granted? We all can easily nurture gratitude. Instead of fixating on what we believe we deserve or what we perceive as missing in our lives, let’s all take a few moments to focus on what we already have. Trust me — think about Marlurita and her Donkey — it will make you smile.
Let not your mind run on what you lack as much as on what you have already. — Marcus Aurelius
Robert Pardi | Life Coach | www.robertpardi.com | #possibilityinaction
