“I must have fallen asleep,”  the woman muttered to herself as she awoke deep in the woods.  “I wonder where I am.”

As she rubbed her eyes she could feel the warmth of the sun on her face.  Her face now was covered in dried mud that she used to keep the insects from biting.  She had spent the night in the woods and now she was ready to find her way home.

As she made her way through the trees, she wondered how it is she got here in the first place.  I know I was hiking but that is about all I can remember now.  Everything seemed to be a bit of a fog in her mind.  She thought about her family and her career.  “I used to think that I had everything figured out, but now I don’t feel that way so much,” she said to no one in particular.

“Now I wonder if I’ll survive another night in these woods.  I don’t even know where I am and if anyone is looking for me.”

The woman kept moving through the thick trees and foliage, looking for a trail of any kind.  She reflected on her life while her body kept moving almost without effort.

“I know I’ve had a good life, but I didn’t realize it.   I live in a country where I’m treated fairly.  My husband and children love me.  I have a good job that I enjoy.  Yet, somehow, I always found something to criticize.  Yet somehow I always found a reason to complain, and to not enjoy my life.  I wonder why that is?”

“Maybe it’s because you took things for granted.”

“Who said that?”

“Me,” replied the bird as it peaked around the tree.

“You startled me.  I didn’t know anyone could hear me.  How is that you can speak?”

“Never mind that.  I would like you to think about whether or not you take your life and the people in it, for granted.”

“Well, I do seem to think that they will always be there.  Sure, I know that we are all going to pass someday, I just feel like that day is a long ways out.  I’m still fairly young and healthy – as is my husband and children.”

“Yes, but why are you taking things for granted?”

The woman sat on a felled tree, and thought for a long while.

“I don’t really know.  Is there a way not to do that?”

“Ah, that is the real question.  When you are lost out in the woods, you feel that you will appreciate your family and your life should you make it out okay.  However, we both know that a few days back and all is forgotten and you will slip into your old patterns of taking things for granted.  It’s only human nature.”

“So, what do you recommend?”

“The best thing to do is to remember moments like these – when you could no longer take anything, like even your next meal for granted.  Then remind yourself of these moments every single day.”

“How can I do that?”

“Many people do this through meditation.  You can either lie in bed and remember these moments, and find gratitude, or you can sit quietly for ten minutes a day.  That is a good way to remind yourself of how good things really are.”

Just then, the woman awoke.

“Hi mom, were you waiting long?”  asked her youngest child.

“Oh no, not at all.  I was just catching up on a little sleep.”

Ω

InspiraCard

Life is about appreciation for what we have.  When we have gratitude, we can live with happiness and joy.  No matter where you are in this lifetime, find that gratitude so that the universe does not see the need to help you find said gratitude!

Written, Wed, Mar 16, 2016, 8:03 – 8:16 AM MST