SOMETHING TO CURE YOUR ILLS

Last summer, I was hiking the Bruce Trail with some old friends from my army days.  They live on Salt Spring Island in BC and had never been to our part of Ontario.  The hike was a short one around the loop at Skinner's Bluff...a trek that would be sure to show them the great vista views of our islands and shoreline.  We were packing our day-packs for the hike and I noticed one of my friends tuck a yellow and red plastic box into his pack.  I asked him what it was and he said, "rattle snake anti-venom".  He told me that he had read that there were snakes on the Bruce Trail and he wanted to be prepared with an antidote.  I had to chuckle.

Many of us go through life seeking antidotes for the dangers and challenges that everyday life presents us.  Most of what we count on to protect us is largely ineffective, a placebo rather than real medicine we need to make it through daily life.

I have discovered a sure-fire "anti-venom" for frustration, resentment, anger and fear.  It's called gratitude.  Yup.  Plain, old, every-day garden-variety gratitude.  I try to take it daily, at least three doses.  It doesn't cost a penny and it never goes stale on the shelf.  It tastes great and it works!

Researchers have concluded that the benefits of gratitude to human health include:

* better long-term emotional and physical health.

* more restorative sleep.

* greater resistance to depression and fatigue.

* increased confidence and self-awareness.

* lower risk of inflammation and greater resistance to common illnesses.

* reduced stress and lower risk of heart disease.

* reduced risk of alcoholism and substance abuse.

* longevity (grateful people live longer!).

* greater contentment, boosted creativity, enhanced willpower, stronger relationships.

Feeling down about your life?  Have a sense of things not being right?  Want to get things back on track?

Take three doses of gratitude - one in the morning, one at noon and one when you go to bed and call me in the morning.

Who knew that all these benefits could come from being thankful.

Pat

Take This Away With You

Let us rise up and be thankful,

for if we didn't learn a lot today,

at least we learned a little,

and if we didn't learn a little,

at least we didn't get sick,

and if we got sick,

at least we didn't die;

so, let us all be thankful.

~ The Buddha ~

IN PRAISE OF PERSEVERANCE

Today, I am writing in praise of perseverance.  Perseverance is a trait that humans share with other animals, but it is humankind that has elevated it to a virtue.  It is one of the characteristics that I most admire in people.  When I was asked at the annual congregational meeting why I had a picture of Sir Winston Churchill on my computer desktop, I gave a long-winded, indefinite answer.  I should have just said, "perseverance".

All my life, I have observed the rewards of perseverance.  My Dad was a man who persevered in the face of many obstacles.  Looking back, I wonder how my Dad managed to harness his impatience to become so tenacious; I don't remember him ever giving up on anything he thought was important.  This was a lesson he passed on to all of his children.

When I joined the army at the age of 18, I quickly learned that determination was an important quality of leadership; we called it "selection and maintenance of the aim".  The idea was that, once a particular objective was decided upon, we maintained our focus on that goal until it was achieved.  On countless occasions during training exercises and on operational duty, I have experienced the morale-boosting, confidence-building effect of perseverance.  Determined people tend to carry others on their backs...figuratively and literally.

The actor John Wayne portrayed that quality of "grit".  In the wild, wild West, a person with "sand" was someone who didn't quit, who stuck by friends and honoured their word.  That was a long time ago - but I sometimes wonder if our daily lives and modern society might be better if more of us demonstrated steadfastness in the face of doubt, fear or adversity.

Like most things human, there is a shadow side to perseverance.  When it is unbalanced or un-tempered by reason and vision, it turns into obstinacy and inflexibility.  There is a fine line between a person of dogged determination and a stubborn fool.

There are many other words that convey the same quality of perseverance: resoluteness, persistence, diligence...you may have others in mind.  However you call it, in whatever measure it comes to you, may it be a blessing in your life. 

Peace and joy to all.

Pat