A friend of mine was laughing about teaching her son to ride a bicycle. She took him to a church parking lot in the middle of the week, so he’d have plenty of space to move around. Her son pointed out, “Mom, there’s a light pole in the middle.” She told him that there was so much room he didn’t need to worry about it.

Sure enough, within 30 seconds of being on his bike, he crashed into the light pole in the middle of a huge, empty lot.

Something experienced kayakers teach beginners is to “see the river, not the rocks.” They explain that your boat goes where your eyes go, so if you focus on obstacles—the rocks—you’ll hit them every time. If you focus on where the water is flowing, you’ll have a much smoother ride.

Think about this as you go about your day. Do you look out for bad drivers, long lines, delayed appointments and unexpected bills? Or do you hope for a friendly greeting, someone buying you a cup of coffee, or hitting all the green lights on the way home? Chances are, much like the light pole and the river rocks, you’ll find what you’re looking for.

There’s another way

A simple way to shift your perspective is practicing gratitude and appreciation. Writing down three things you were grateful for during the day or taking a few minutes to reflect on things you appreciate can guide you to look more intently for these things in your daily walk. And if you’re looking for things to appreciate, you’ll likely find them.

You can practice appreciation in this 5-minute guided meditation from the VA Office of Patient Centered Care & Cultural Transformation’s Tosha Ellis:

 

Did you know that regularly taking time to appreciate the little things by incorporating a simple gratitude practice like this into your daily routine can raise your energy levels, help you get a better night’s sleep, and feel better faster when you are sick? A study of over 7,100 people over 14 years found that those with a strong sense of purpose lived longer. It can only take a few minutes a day! To learn more about gratitude practice and how to start one, check out this handout.

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2 Comments

  1. Thaddeus Robinson March 23, 2023 at 10:16

    I do have a strong sense of Purpose. One intention is to pull VA, Kicking and screaming and caling names, into the 21st Century- like it or not, and I don’t, a weapons exist, and are the cause of all ot my health conditions. I’ve made all of my health care providers aware of this fact; it appears that 2 of them, Rosen and Argani, decided I Needed a psych eval before I could be a dialysis patient at VA. It concluded with the psych asking “what do you want me to tell them?” “I’m not outlaw Josie Wales, I’m a man of the mind.”
    Some jr. shrink indicated I am delusional, because I say I’ve been injured by e-weapons. I have requested the opportunity to have her defend her presumptions.
    VA is not even achieving half-health, In my case-
    RSVP

  2. Mike Artmann March 20, 2023 at 20:53

    Easy to say , much harder to do

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