Groundhog Day

I could spend hours, well maybe not hours, but a long time reading those wall decor signs with inspirational or snarky sayings. When the kiosk starts up at the mall around the holidays, I have to grab a coffee and settle in. There are so many! I laugh and giggle so much, people give me funny looks and shake their heads as they walk to the far side of the display. I am certain they don’t want others assuming we’re together. Zulily, a guilty pleasure, has sales of these time-sucking bits of wisdom at reasonable prices. I have received them as gifts and give them as gifts but have never purchased one for myself. I have decor-commitment issues.

I came across one of these gems recently that made me pause and read it a second time, then a third. I closed the app, watched a little football but went back just to be sure I read it correctly. The little sign read, “I still remember the days I prayed for the things I have now.” Had I realized those prayers? The answer was yes, unequivocally yes. Well, yes with an asterisks. I am the only female in my house and that includes the pets in that accounting – a topic for another day.

When was the last time I expressed my gratitude for these answered prayers, these realized hopes, these manifest dreams I am living today? Have I ever connected those dots in my reflections? I did today. With the exception of the all-male review that is my household, I have been very blessed and I am so very grateful for the journey.

I bought the sign.

Bill Murray starred in a funny comedy called Groundhog Day. It was a fabulously ’90s film about a man who needed to learn many life lessons and therefore had to relive Groundhog Day over and over and over again. The same alarm clock would start each day. Murray’s character memorized each detail of each day to manipulate the outcome. It was only when he learned to be truly grateful, that the cycle was broken. His character went from the most selfish person in the script to deeply grateful for every little detail of every day. His value system was transformed saving him from the doom of reliving his sameness. I have found that gratitude does the same for me; it keeps me from reliving the sameness.

Gratitude keeps me focused and grounded on where I am instead of ruminating over where I am not. Gratitude welcomes people into my life at the place they are and by that same token, keeps me open where I am so I can be welcomed.

I don’t have to relive the same day over and over again to learn how important gratitude is in my life. I have however, made the same mistakes over and over again, judging myself harshly each time for the error but missing the chance to be grateful for the lesson. This is very evident when I attempt to match my husband’s wicked baking skills. You’d think I’d learn the magic of the perfect batch of chocolatey goodness after 20-dozen failed cookie batches. I apologize to Godiva for the many burnt and wasted chocolate chips.

In all seriousness, gratitude only costs you a piece of humble pie at the beginning. The longer you welcome it into your life, the sweeter it tastes. Try it. You don’t even have to buy the sign.