Je T’aime Paris

“FOR ME, AND FOR MANY OF US, OUR FIRST WAKING THOUGHT OF THE DAY IS “I DIDN’T GET ENOUGH SLEEP”. THE NEXT ONE IS “I DON’T HAVE ENOUGH TIME.” WHETHER TRUE OR NOT, THAT THOUGHT OF ‘NOT ENOUGH’ OCCURS TO US AUTOMATICALLY BEFORE WE EVEN THINK TO QUESTION OR EXAMINE IT. WE SPEND MOST OF THE HOURS AND THE DAYS OF OUR LIVES HEARING, EXPLAINING, COMPLAINING OR WORRYING ABOUT WHAT WE DON’T HAVE ENOUGH OF….BEFORE WE EVEN SIT UP IN BED, BEFORE OUR FEET TOUCH THE FLOOR, WE’RE ALREADY INADEQUATE, ALREADY BEHIND, ALREADY LOSING, ALREADY LACKING SOMETHING. AND BY THE TIME WE GO TO BED AT NIGHT, OUR MINDS ARE RACING WITH A LITANY OF WHAT WE DIDN’T GET, OR DIDN’T GET DONE, THAT DAY. WE GO TO SLEEP BURDENED BY THOSE THOUGHTS AND WAKE UP TO THAT REVERIE OR LACK….THIS INTERNAL CONDITION OF SCARCITY, THIS MIND-SET OF SCARCITY, LIVES AT THE VERY HEART OF OUR JEALOUSIES, OUR GREED, OUR PREJUDICE AND OUR ARGUMENTS WITH LIFE…” – LYNNE TWIST, THE SOUL OF MONEY

AS WE APPROACH THE SEASON OF “GRATITUDE,” I CAN’T HELP THINKING HOW OUR HOPE TO FEEL TRULY GRATEFUL IS ACTUALLY A PROFOUND EXERCISE.  LIKE THIS QUOTE SAYS,  WHICH I READ ON MY SON’S GIRLFRIEND’S FACEBOOK POST, WE ARE CONSTANTLY CASTIGATING OURSELVES WITH REMINDERS OF WHAT WE ARE MISSING IN OUR LIVES:  A LOVER, A NEW PHONE, EXTRA TIME (TO READ, TO WORKOUT, TO EDUCATE OURSELVES, TO JUST DO NOTHING), A PERFECT HOUSE, BETTER TASTING COFFEE, THE LIST GOES ON.  WHETHER WE ARE MISSING OUT IN ITEMS OR WE ARE YEARNING FOR A CHANGE IN THE QUALITY OF OUR HOW WE SPEND OUR TIME, OR ENGAGE IN OUR RELATIONSHIPS, WE ARE FEELING A SENSE OF LACK CONSTANTLY.  IT TAKES A CONSCIENTIOUS EFFORT TO NOTICE WHAT WE DO HAVE, WHAT WE CAN BE GRATEFUL FOR.

THE RECENT BOMBINGS IN PARIS HAS LED ME TO THINK EVEN MORE ABOUT THIS NOTION OF SCARCITY VS. OUR FEELING OF GRATITUDE.  IN A SPLIT MOMENT, OUR WORLD CHANGES, OUR UNDERSTANDING OF HUMANITY IS SHAKEN, AND WE SUDDENLY FEEL A SENSE OF GRATEFULNESS FOR WHAT WE DO HAVE, OUR SAFETY, OUR COMFORT, OUR LIFE, OUR SIMPLE “HOME.”  I REMEMBER BEING IN PARIS, LIKE MANY OF YOU, I HAVE MY PICTURES OF ME AT THE EIFFEL TOWER WITH MY DAUGHTER, ME AT THE ARC DE TRIOMPHE, VERSAILLES, MONTMARTRE ETC…  IT’S HARD TO BELIEVE THAT THIS CITY WAS STRUCK WITH TERROR, CONFUSION, HURT. JE T’AIME PARIS.

IT STRIKES ME THAT IT IS IN TIMES LIKE THESE, WHEN WE QUESTION EVERYTHING, THAT WE LITERALLY NEED TO FIND MEANING IN THE MUNDANE, BECAUSE THE MUNDANE BECOMES A LUXURY!  AND WHEN WE MIND MEANING IN SOMETHING, WE SUDDENLY BECOME MORE GRATEFUL.  LIKE I SAID, IT IS A CONSCIENTIOUS PRACTICE, AT LEAST FOR ME!  I REMIND MYSELF OF WHAT I DO HAVE:

MY SHOES

MY SOCIAL LIFE

MY BROTHER

MY CHILDREN; THE CHILDREN OF MY CHILDREN

MY KITCHEN THAT I NEVER USE

MY LATTES

MY FRIENDS, MY ENEMIES

MY APPROACH TO LIFE

MY LAZY SUNDAY MORNINGS AND MY LAZY SUNDAY AFTERNOONS

MY COOCHI COOCHI

MY HEALTH

MY MEMORIES

MY MEXICO

MY JALAPENOS

MY SANTA FE

AS ALWAYS, I LOVE TO HEAR YOUR THOUGHTS! TELL ME WHAT YOU ARE GRATEFUL FOR! PLEASE WRITE TO ME AT GUADALUPEGOLER@HOTMAIL.COM