Gratitude Diet: Day 22 — I’ve recently been blessed to teach a weekly yoga class at a local studio. After this Monday’s class, a fellow yogi and I talked about the practice of yoga for an hour. And we could have gone on for hours more. I love yoga! It’s been a part of my life for so long now I can’t imagine life without it. Many think of yoga as only a set of stretching postures (asanas) where practitioners bend themselves into crazy animal shapes. (Down dog, anyone?) But yoga is so much more than that. It’s movement, breath, energy, philosophy, a lifestyle, a perspective, self awareness, meditation and more. Yoga means unity. When we practice yoga (syncing our breath and movement) we calm and focus our minds and rejuvenate and energize our bodies, leaving us more relaxed, happy and peaceful. Yoga opens up a whole world of benefits for the body, mind and spirt. And ultimately, if we practice it long enough and faithfully enough, it raises our consciousness so that we may experience the essence of Spirit and our connection to It. The stress of our 21st century living cries out for yoga and its refuge of peace and wisdom. And I’m so happy and thankful I have it in my back pocket to carry me through life. If you’re interested in starting a yoga practice, hit me up. I’d love to share what I know and point you in the right direction. Namaste! #GratitudeDiet #NoComplaints #JustPraisesandThanks Gratitude Diet: Day 24 —Today is Christmas Eve and I am elated to be spending it with my family! The delicious food, the games, the fun gift exchange, the karaoke, the smiles, laughs, songs, friendships and the love. Today, I am thankful for our Christmas traditions and the holiday joy! I pray you all will be blessed by the peace and joy of the season now and throughout the new year. Merry Christmas, y’all! #GratitudeDiet #NoComplaints #JustPraisesandThanks Gratitude Diet: Day 25 — Well, today is an easy one. I’m grateful for Christmas! I hope you are enjoying yours! #GratitudeDiet #NoComplaints #JustPraisesandThanks Gratitude Diet: Day 26 — My phone rang and my friend’s named popped up on it. I answered quickly as I was happy to hear from her. Always pleasant, I could hear her smiling as we talked. We chatted for a short while and then I noticed her voice change. A more serious tone replaced the cheery one and her smile vanished. She started, “I don’t know if you got my email…” I interrupted, explaining I had just popped open my email and noticed she sent something but I hadn’t had the chance to view it before her call. She continued, pacing herself, breaking the news gently. A dear friend of ours had suffered a heart attack. She didn’t have all the details, but she’s knows he’s in the hospital in intensive care. We were both shocked. Here’s a friend who seemed to be so active and in such great health. It sadness us to think that our dear sweet, loving friend (and his lovely wife) are going through such an ordeal. Before our call ended, my friend asked me to add our sick friend to my prayers; and I most certainly will. I am praying for his healing and his complete recovery to a full, happy and healthy life. And I am believing in that healing for him. Today, I am grateful for God’s healing which resides within us and around us. It’s one of the most miraculous things. We can cut ourselves and the tissues will regrow leaving little to no trace. Bones can be broken and reset. Children can regrow a fingertip after amputation. Some diseases can be completely cured. And most of us heal completely after a bout of the common cold with all its nasty varieties. Our immune systems are constantly fighting a slew of viruses, bacteria, toxins, pollutants and other substances that can make us sick. But most days our immune systems are the victors and we count ourselves healthy and well. When you think about all those things, being alive is actually a miracle in itself. And God’s healing, whether it comes through the hands of a surgeon, a shaman, a pill or a bottle of NyQuil, is pretty amazing and miraculous too. And today, I am thankful for it and counting on it. #GratitudeDiet #NoComplaints #JustPraisesandThanks Gratitude Diet: Day 27 — Today, I am so super grateful for something that I cannot reveal on Facebook. Lol! So instead I’ll be thankful for spa days and massages because (after carrying around heavy bags today) my shoulders and neck could really use a great massage. I’m all about self care; and adding spa days to my calendar is essential. For me, dedicating a whole day to relieving stress, relaxing and detoxing is a necessary indulgence. It's one of my favorite treats. What's your favorite self care treat? #GratitudeDiet #NoComplaints #JustPraisesandThanks Gratitude Diet: Day 28 — I ran into a familiar face at the grocery store today. It was one of my neighbors. We probably hadn’t seen each other since spring. She introduced me to another lady who was formerly a neighbor and the three of us chatted a bit there in the frozen food aisle. We talked about hanging out at the pool together over the summer as well as practicing yoga together. And those are certainly things to look forward to. What I’m grateful for today is community, those familiar places and faces that bring us enjoyment, connection and make us feel like we belong. Whether you find your community on the golf course, the basketball court, the coffee shop or the PTA, I wish you many happy and fulfilling connections that bring you camaraderie and joy. #GratitudeDiet #NoComplaints #JustPraisesandThanks Gratitude Diet: Day 29 — Today, I visited the African American Museum of Dallas to view their exhibition — Slavery at Jefferson’s Monticello: Paradox of Liberty. It featured items from Monticello owned by Thomas Jefferson’s family and the slaves he owned. More importantly, the exhibition presented the slave families of Monticello and humanized them by giving their names, revealing their family trees and telling the stories of their lives (albeit with the sparse details available.) Exhibits like this are so important. We must never forget how difficult their lives were and how much pain and humiliation they endured daily! Exhibitions, books and films on slavery always bring up a lot of heavy emotions in me - sadness and anger are always resident. But something else stirs within me too - pride. It's pride that says, "Look at what your ancestors built. Look at this great country made from their hard labor, sweat, blood and broken bodies. Look at how they survived hate, abuse and systematic oppression. You see that?! Your people are survivors, founders, warriors." As pride rises, anger begins to fade into the background and I find myself standing taller, far far beyond the height of my physical stature. See that's what standing on the shoulders of your ancestors will do. Today, I am thankful for the strength and resilience of my ancestors and all those of African-American descent who endured the inhumanity of slavery. To treated as a human is reasonable, to be treated as an equal is righteous and to be treated as less than human is deplorable. The legacy of slavery is still very real. Despite our many successes, African-Americans as a whole have yet to overcome the effects of slavery. We are still in the struggle. I pray one day we'll all exhibit the great strength and resilience of our ancestors. #GratitudeDiet #NoComplaints #JustPraisesandThanks Gratitude Diet: Day 30 — Today, I’m thankful for my Sunday Night Movie Night with two of my favorite ladies in the world. It’s been a fantastic weekend and a great end to the year. #GratitudeDiet #NoComplaints #JustPraisesandThanks
0 Comments
Your comment will be posted after it is approved.
Leave a Reply. |
Anietie Antia-Obong
Anietie blogs about what moves her which is usually yoga, the arts and love. Archives
June 2022
Categories |