A Wow moment – Miracle of the day nay lifetime – Sighting a brown hawk owl!

 

Contd...

A Wow moment – Miracle of the day nay lifetime – Sighting a brown hawk owl!

So, what is the moral of this story?

When we least expect “beauty or a miracle” in our life, it happens. We just can validate it, be available for it and be aware of it to enjoy it.

We can’t control such ‘miracles’ of nature to happen to us or anyone. It happens and then all we can say is “thankyou, thankyou, thankyou”.

Do your duty (here feeding birds) out of love.

Don’t expect anything to come out of it. And when you don’t expect anything, the most beautiful returns are given to you – just like that.

What did I do the entire day because of this?

How did I respond to this incident?

I thanked and felt grateful to the bird!

I was grateful and thanked Reiki for this experience!

I was grateful and thanked God for this experience!

I was grateful for my eyes.

I was grateful for my habit of going to the balcony to feed the birds.

I was grateful for my legs that took me there.

I was grateful for my awareness practice sessions.

I was grateful for my mindfulness practice sessions and meditations. was grateful for my heart for jumping with joy.

I was grateful for having all of you in my life with whom I can share these little bundles of joy in my life.

I was grateful to Mother Nature for all her Creations.

I was thankful to the internet for giving me the name of the bird that I had seen.

I was thankful for my intelligence which made me want to know what I saw.

I was thankful for the understanding that I had due to this rare sighting.

I was thankful to my heart for being filled with gratitude. It didn’t say ‘So what, just one more bird’.

I was thankful to all those who will read this and then later also will share their miracle stories in the blog.

I was thankful for many such miracles.

And being filled with gratitude and thankfulness, I knelt, cried out of happiness and later did Reiki for all the above who were part of this miracle one way or the other!

My day and later couple of days too, were filled with gratitude and happiness. 

Concluded.....

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# miracles of life, miracles, wow moments, living the moment, joys of life, little joys of life, nature, beauty of life, life, mundane routine of life, mindfulness, awareness, available to life and its abundance, 

Revisit old posts to know further on similar topic: https://kantipadam.blogspot.com/2021/11/sadhan-for-this-week_01023219776.html 

Question time:

So, what is your take on this post?

What is it about being grateful?

…contd….

Whenever we just stated that we were grateful to XYZ, it many times only meant that we were praising someone to redeem ourselves of their genuine goodness or acts. Would you accept only ‘thank-you’ as your salary or birthday gift? Why gratitude is saying that you are grateful. Right? But then, it is your definition. Isn’t it? Why then are you not happy? Why do you demand more? Do you become greedy for asking more? If no, then for others’ acts of kindness or any act that deserves your gratitude you feel you have done them a great favour by stating that you are grateful to them. Have you thought about it?  Our verbal gratitude only reflects the ‘hallowness’ of our gratitude.

“Treat others as you would want to be treated”. You get angry and what not when others are not grateful to you and yet you never sit to honestly see how you have repaid to all to whom you owe gratitude! How convenient! How Good! And yet others are bad and we are good! What justice? Just look at all these hypocrisy of ours….

 

“We reap what we sow”. Did we ever sit to reflect “if I am receiving ingratitude to whom all have I been ingrateful?”. No. we never do that.

For me “I am grateful” only when I give atleast a part of all that I received from others with love, affection and above all humility that “I am NOT GIVING charity” but paying my debt. I am just repaying what I had already enjoyed and benefitted.

I am truly grateful

·         only when I don’t expect kudos for my acts of gratitude

·         I don’t publicize my acts to receive others praise

·         Don’t crib in tough times questioning Guru/God that “I did so much good, then why are you not helping me?”

·         When these acts don’t give me a sense of being a good man doing great acts of charity etc.

 

I am sorry, I became a little carried away but I learnt these lessons a very hard way and hence wanted to share it with you. This effort is to make you reflect only your definition of gratitude, the need to do it and your concept of every aspect of gratitude. That’s all!

...contd....

What's gratitude?

…contd….

Inshort, we are both happy and satisfied when grateful. Being grateful is not for others. It is of no use to the person you are grateful to, but to yourself. You gift yourself “Being happy” when you are grateful.

It couldn’t be better explained than by Rahuls’ version of gratitude. He started “ I heard a story of a Zen woman who was a beggar of course from our Guruji many years ago. This woman had come to a village and it being very cold – so cold that it could kill a person in no time if he stayed outdoors, the woman knocked at every door and requested that she be given the shelter for night. But no one compiled to her request. With no other alternative available and with empty stomach, the poor beggar woman decided to spend her night under a tree. She sat down. For no particular reason, she raised her head and lo! She beholds the beautiful full moon. 

 

She didn’t know that it was full-moon night (pournami). The beauty of that moon transfixed her gaze and she lost count of time looking at moon. In the morning, when sun rose, she realized what she had experienced and in sheer ecstasy she knocked every door of the village and thanked each person in between her tears of joy for not letting her in for night. By that gesture, they had let her experience the night like never before. She kept crying out of joy “I saw the moon, I saw the moon” to all and sundry” completed the story and started his explanation “This story stuck with me and i kept looking at “moon” (i mean blessings) in my life whenever someone denied something in my life. And trust me “I’ve seen many moons thanks to rejections in my life”. Hence, I am grateful for every “NO” that I received in my life. This had only bettered my perception and that in turn has enriched me as a person. So, i am grateful to every person who has said ‘No’ to my needs, expectations, requests and affection.

 

He sat down but our senses stood up. Everyone started asking questions simultaneously. It seemed as if we understood it all and yet we didn’t get a word of it. It was too bizarre and yet so genuinely shaking us from our slumber. 

...contd....

On being grateful – just for 3 days!

 

On being grateful – just for 3 days!

Just for next 3 days let’s list out things for which we are grateful!

You need not share all of the list with us – even just a couple of them would do. But in your Reiki diary jot down all of them.

Just for 3 days to come!

****      

# on being grateful, on gratitude, saying thanks, feeling the abundance, validating all that we possess, being aware, 

reading suggested : https://kantipadam.blogspot.com/search?q=grateful             

Panacea for all ills!

 

Contd.....

Panacea for all ills!

When I am low, I sit to heal, I go to sadhan.

When there is relationship problem in life, I sit to heal, I go to sadhan.

When there is emotional turmoil, I sit to heal, I go to sadhan.

When there is problem with people in life – both personal and professional, I sit to heal, I go to sadhan.

When there is financial crisis, I sit to heal, I go to sadhan.

When I feel lost, feel I am at dead end, I sit to heal, I go to sadhan.

When I am happy, I sit to heal, I go to sadhan.

When I am healthy, I am grateful, I sit to heal and I go to sadhan.

When I am provided, I am grateful, I sit to heal, I go to sadhan.

When someone praises me appreciates me, I am grateful and hence sit to do sadhan.

When someone gets healed, their attitudes get healed, I am grateful and so sit in sadhan.

When others receive their heart’s desire, I am grateful and so sit in sadhan.

Just sit in sadhan.

Good times and bad times will seem same. No two decisions and things to do. No multiple things to choose from. Just be in sadhan – in good times and bad times and HE will be on your side – evermore!

***

# panacea for ills, problem solving, cure for problems, where to look up to in times of need, pain and suffering, 

Read suggested : https://kantipadam.blogspot.com/search? q=problem 

Destiny - we make or break it!

 

Destiny - we make or break it!

We can open our mouth to complain or be grateful. The organ that does both these jobs is same.

Complain generates ‘karma’ that is binding on us. It creates pain and suffering. And we end up meeting it as a ‘situation’ in our life again and again…..

Being grateful heals our ‘karma’ – our ‘bondage’. It frees us. It generates energy of contentment, happiness and fullness. It says we are ‘great’ and ‘full’. That is the energy that is generated later as our ‘situation’ in our life. I guess, we now know how some people get ‘more lucky’ than us most of the time!!!

What do you want to open your mouth for?

To create energy that would bring pain and suffering in your life or create energy of happiness, greatness and fullness.

Choice is ours to make! And that choice is our ‘freewill’. And that ‘freewill’ decides our ‘destiny’. And once that ‘destiny’ is written by us we are to face it however much we say we don’t want to face it!

Think about it!

# destiny, choices and effect, fate, freewill, grateful, we receive what we give, 

also read : https://kantipadam.blogspot.com/search?q=fate 

So what are you grateful for today?

So what is your complaint for today?

What will you do with your complaint now?

How do you decide to address what you are grateful for? 

In the lighter vein : Listen to song Que sera sera by Doris dey....on fate....

Me, My Guru....

Me, My Guru…!

“Every pain has an equal or greater benefit within it. The day you realize it, you stop complaining and start being grateful. The day you see the benefit you take the lesson, grow as a person and let go of an experience” said the Guru.

I said “It may be applicable in few situations. But, some problems can’t have a reason to feel grateful about”.

Guru smiled and said, “State your complaint and I’ll give 10 benefits in it. I’ll show 10 reasons for you to be grateful about”.

I liked this challenge. I knew I got my Guru this time. And I put forth my first complaint, “My spouse had a heart attack” (This can be replaced by – My relative is suffering from … disease!)

Guru, “Good. Start counting your blessings and start being grateful for the same”.

1. Spouse or relative’s STILL ALIVE
2. Disease means some organ is not functioning properly. A car which has broken down is not considered as a problem. It is taken to a mechanic for repair. Likewise, a dysfunctional person needs only to be taken to a doctor for corrective measure.
3. Disease reminds us that we have been taking our body for granted. It needs to be properly taken care of. And the various measures are pranayamam (breathing exercise), walking and physical exercise, meditation, various techniques of Reiki, right eating, sitting and sleeping habits.
4. You could take that relative to a doctor. You have access to a doctor. That itself is a blessing. Millions in the world don’t have access to right medical facilities.
5. You can afford a doctor means you’ve money – it may be credit. Still you could raise that sum of money. It’s a financial abundance that you have. Millions die for want of basic needs. And we can afford a doctor’s fees. Great indeed!
6. You can browse through internet and get information regarding disease and get best possible aid for the same. You can AFFORD a COMPUTER!!!!! You think it is a necessity. Ask millions who don’t have proper drinking water…
7. You are browsing means you can read. It’s a blessing that more than 80 million in the world don’t have.
8. If you can read, you have eyes. That is the best possession you have.
9. Your near and dear are there to take care of you. You have a family to fall back on. You are not alone. What a blessing!
10. You have friends and relatives praying for you, worrying about your health. You really are a wealthy person.
11. You’ll know the fear of losing a person very dear to you. You’ll start giving more importance to spending good time with all who matter in your life rather than going behind acquiring things.
12. You will know to celebrate relationships instead of just having them in life.

The count is more than 10 already. So be grateful and open up to thanking people and life in general” said Guru with a smile on the lips. I was lost. Clearly, my next complaint should be one that doesn’t have a reason to thank.

Fill your complaint bucket...Think about your it objectively till we meet in the next post....

Different shades of gratitude

…contd….

Today, it was decided that we explain why we felt grateful towards ‘one’ person and then write a TYC after that to that person. And we were doing just that.

Pinky’s explanation made us realize that we take people who are our support system for granted. We hadn’t acknowledged their presence and contribution in our life. And yet these people had been there for us – unasked, unflinching, without any expectations and smiling all through with us. Now, would this gratitude add more value to their role in our lives? Would they be more loving towards us? Would they love us more? No. nothing of that sort would happen for sure. Many of us were thanking a person who was no more part of our life – then why this exercise of extending our gratitude to such people. I realized today that this way we didn’t give them anything. We gave ourselves ‘good feeling’ of being grateful. This act made us open to ‘seeing’ how others’ were silently loving, caring and sharing a part of themselves with us. This was to validate that act of theirs. That meant, we had to look beyond our selfishness and envy to look at others role in our life. We were actually opening up as humans. Yes. We were being grateful so that we could open our hearts to joy, peace, humility and purity. This thought moved me. Our Guru had said “Be grateful. Show gratitude for what you receive and yet we didn’t.

We understood the words and felt ‘oh, yes, we got it, don’t repeat’.  But today, I understood that she knew we didn’t get the import of words and hence would implore us again and again to be grateful. And yet ……

This was no simple class, I realized that. As I was collecting my thoughts everyone had finished their tea and Aana had started her explanation.

....contd......