Scraping The Barrel

Gratitude List 19/03/2018

For too long had I not wanted to have a good sincere look at myself. Understandably so, I can’t say I’m proud of my past. It was far easier to forget, deny, surpress and blame others.

Just under a year ago I was encouraged to do an inventory. I was told to honestly and morally scrape the bottom of the barrel. I did. And although I was warned this could be an emotional task, I took each learning curve as a huge positive. I came to believe that my past is a place for reflection and not for residence. I was gathering some tools to help me deal with the roller-coaster that life is. As a good friend regularly suggests, I hopefully have another 40 years to be the best person I can possibly be.

More recently, I have been topping up this work by doing a mini inventory each night. By answering some simple questions, I gain substance to my prayers and focus for the following day. Today I am grateful for….

A guiding hand.

The courage I had to take the initial plunge.

Self-honesty.

Putting things down on paper by hand. There’s some magic in this.

Being thorough.

The release. No better way of explaining it.

The serenity I get as a result.

The humility.

The tools I am acquiring.

Things I could’ve done better. I can learn from them.