Let’s Get Grateful for The Crap: I’ll Start and You Jump In

Really?

I have received at least 20 emails today from auto-generated newsletters saying Thank you, Happy Thanksgiving, Gratitude is the way to the promised land….

Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah…..

I am a big proponent on gratitude.  Just like Oprah I write my 5 grateful list each night and then I work at FEELING the gratitude.

I write such things as my life, my family, my new bed.

Who really cares?

What about being grateful for the crap that happens too?

Because it really isn’t crap; it is just how you perceive it.

The way I see it; if you don’t see the golden nugget in the poop; the poop will just multiply.

Some people die in that poop. They go through the same crap without being grateful for it.

So, in honor of Thanksgiving: I Will Give you my Top 10 List of Gratitude for the Crap and Please share yours in the comment section but before I start; you will notice a negative hue coming off the words and that is perfect because it is crap.

Crap doesn’t smell good. The the best way to get rid of the crap is to clean it up and learn from it.

Names omitted because I am a nice person.

• I am grateful for the 2 coaches who took $10,000 from me and did not deliver what they had promised. This taught me to be VERY PICKY when picking support and that I am worth standing up and saying you are not delivering what you promised; time for a refund. Gosh there is so much to learn here and I think the biggest thing has to do with power. Testimonials hold no power for me; I could care less. Same with references. The true coach for me is someone who holds the space for me to let out my true essence. It is not about their signature system; it is about the environment they provide. Thank you Coaches for taking my money and allowing me to forge a whole new terrain that will change the way I am coached.
• I am grateful for the people in my childhood who ridiculed me, told me that I had too big of a butt, that my eyes were too big, to shut up because I talked too loud. It may have taken most of my life but I am falling in love with all those things that you didn’t like about me. Plus, I know that you said those things because you were hurting too.
• I am grateful for being a food addict. Yes, I love being a food addict because it de-baffles why I had to each a box of cereal everyday. It is a disease, not my fault, my responsibility. Yet, within that powerlessness I have never felt so powerful.
• I am grateful for my son being diagnosed with Autism at 3 years old. Luckily, he responded well to therapy and really has some complex learning disabilities.Yet, through this diagnosis; I became an expert surrender dancer. I was able to totally accept him while making sure he had every opportunity available.
• I am grateful for my daughters teenage years. Oh those were tough! At almost 24 she is just freaking amazing! I am in awe of her. She is her own person. She is taller, thinner, prettier and smarter than me (that is parent’s dream) but that she is not me. This journey is hers and I don’t own her. If she didn’t give me such crap for trying to control her; she wouldn’t be the woman she is today.
• I am grateful for growing up poor. As a child I know that money can be gone in a second. It was my experience. I have lived through eating peanut butter sandwiches until the next paycheck came in. I have lived with only have 1 pair of pants to wear.  It isn’t fun, in fact it sucks. Yet,  growing up that way gives me extra compassion for others. Nothing makes me happier than giving to others anonymously. I can do it and I don’t care about the thank yous.
• I am grateful for saying goodbye to a whole bunch of friends. Sometimes, I feel very alone. Over the last few years, many friendships have ended. Some just had run their course while I allowed other friends to take advantage of me. Right now, I have very few but man are they awesome!  What I have learned is that I used to view friends as possessions; the more I had the better I looked. As a result, I was not a very good friend. I am sorry about that and I am grateful that I learned it so I can be a great friend to those I do have in my inner circle.
• I am grateful for the crap surrounding marriage. Ok; if you don’t think that crap surrounds marriage then buy me a ticket to your planet. Marriage is hard work. Together, we have been through 5 parent deaths, my brother’s death, multiple family divorces, financial pressures and job security. At the beginning; I never said what I needed because I didn’t think I deserved to then I would get mad when he didn’t read my mind! After almost 25 years, we are starting to figure it out and then one of us changes and we have to figure it out again. The crap is what gives us color; it shows that we are very imperfect and it models to our children that marriage takes a lot of hard work.
• I am grateful for putting my foot in my mouth on a regular basis. Oh boy; I go through spurts where the filter is turned off.  I have written how that has caused me great pain because I would rip myself apart for what I said. I still do that but all that ripping apart have golden nuggets of wisdom. So when I am grateful for my faux pas I can learn why and how to not faux pas again!
• I am grateful for failing in business. This one gives me the most gratitude! Yes, it is a failure so lets not sugar coat it. If I had never ventured out into this entrepreneurial adventure I would have missed out on discovering my love for writing, for speaking, for being in front of the video camera and for creating workshops.  In addition, I would never have been able to process all the crap that came brewing into the subconscious such as money drama, fear of asking for the sale and finding my own voice.  If or when I venture back out into creating my own company; I know that I will never close a person, use someone else’s voice in my writings or just vomit the same crap as the coach next store. I am finding my own voice that is transparent, authentic and unique. Thank you big ole business failure.

Whew: That was a lot of crap; I better go buy more toilet paper!

Now your turn!  What crap are your grateful for?