I just shared this with my community on Facebook for those living with chronic conditions because his is a message that we need to hear often. I love where he says that “success” to him is when he feels he is in a good space mentally and spiritually. Many of us with chronic pain/illness lose our occupations, abilities, hobbies we enjoyed, and sometimes even significant others or friends we once had. We can lose our identity and embody a “less than” view about ourselves. My goal is to share with them that there is way more to who we truly are than what we do for a living….it is more in what kind of living we DO. This exquisite piece drives that home and I am GRATEFUL to Green Renaissance for these incredible ‘a ha’ gems that they gift us with to remind us of the good stuff.

I believe that it is in the face of pain where living GRATEFULLY is actually most important. I have lived with chronic pain & illness for over 20 years and have most definitely had my ups and downs with it, understandably. It was after a near-death experience that I had 8 years ago due to abusing alcohol as my “pain relief”, that I found how crucial it was to incorporate connection, mindfulness, and GRATEFULNESS into my life in order to find joy and fulfillment.
Leading up to that, I had lost all sense of self-worth and value and based it purely on the abilities that I’d lost due to my condition. It was this focus on the LACK OF that led me to the victim mentality that was nearly my demise. Today, through a very intentional GRATITUDE practice, I embrace who I am and what I have to offer the world which is so much more than what my physical capabilities are. That “lack” that I had been so focused on years ago has shown me the richness of my life of abundance today. Through my struggles, I have found my strength. And even on those days where the pain is so intense that it can take my breath away, it is through GRATEFULLY living that I know how much more I am than my pain and how much more I have to offer the world because of it.