When The Path Is Blocked

When the path is blocked, back up and see more of the way. — Mark Nepo

Grateful for Everyone and Everything

The idea that we must be grateful for everyone and everything has presented itself to me several times recently. Being grateful for everyone and everything feels like being able to back up and see more of the way — seeing beyond our blocks. Being grateful for everyone and everything does not mean that I am so glad my car broke down, or my bank account is empty, or I lost my job. Being grateful for everyone and everything means trying at least 800 times and not giving up. Being grateful for everyone and everything means that we are asked to make connections between what blocks us and gratitude. The connections can be understood as wisdom, compassion, perseverance, and humility. The connections lead to fundamental change.

Unblocking Our Path

A Gratitude Archeology

I choose one simple thing thing for which I am grateful. For example, I love our mattress. I think through each piece of the complex and amazing process that allows me to sleep on that mattress. From the person who picked the cotton, to the person who stitched the fabric, to the person at the factory, to the person who sells the mattress at the mattress company. (Those are just a few of the major players that make our mattress happen.) When I take time to think through the easy stuff in that way, it makes delving into gratitude for the more difficult things more possible. Unpacking both the “good” and the “bad” allows me to see.

Get Present

Blocks often happen when I am mired in the past or worried about the future. Getting present does not negate the value of backing up. Backing up is not solely about the past. Backing up in the present is about breathing and not spiraling or running or crashing into things. Backing up in the present is about feeling grounded. Backing up in the present is the split second that moves me from reactionary to thoughtful. Getting present unblocks as it moves me toward mindfulness, stops negativity in its tracks, and builds the connective tissue between my thoughts and actions.

Radical Grace

We are born into grace. The human condition — which is about birth, growth, emotions, aspiration, conflict, and mortality — frames our path. Because we share all of that, we are asked to approach each other with radical grace. Radical grace is about forgiveness even when it is hard. Radical grace is about keeping our hearts soft and open. Radical grace is about praying to see with new eyes. New eyes are grateful eyes.