070: Being Thankful

It is easy to be thankful and grateful for good things that come our way. But what about the negative things? How can we be thankful for pain or difficulty? For me, physical pain from being in a wheelchair is an indicator that it is time to shift my weight, sit in a different chair, or lie down for awhile. Otherwise, I might get a pressure sore, as is the case with many people with paralysis - they can't feel that pain and that can lead to worse and serious problems. Thankfully, I will never experience that - because I can feel physical pain. Same with the inner life. If something is painful to do - or it hurts when you don't do something - that is an indicator that you may need to shift the way you are doing something, or, to resume doing the things that keep that emotional pain at bay. This is sometimes called "Divine Discontent", in that if we don't follow our soul's longing, we will be in trouble. Honoring our true selves will keep us out of trouble, but we need that discontent to recognize that.