The Porcelain Bowl Vol. 3 edition 6

The Porcelain Bowl
Attitude of Gratitude Part III of III
Quotes
Catch 22
Things you may have never considered (new section)

Quote of the Week:
From one white boy to a small audience of friends, including me, and if you know how I roll, I always have a little notebook to write down such notable moments:“don't mess with thunder and lightning, you don't want to get in the middle of this storm”this is in reference to his biceps…now that is even better than getting welcomed to the “gun show” or the “pit”

Catch 22
The Practices of Gratitude
I guess the pressing question on many of your minds is how to really change or put this new perception of attitude into practice. Well some wise person once said, “love is spelled a-c-t-i-o-n.” In order to really incorporate a practice in your life, you have to act. It can’t be this thought that has no follow through. So first, we have to remember to EXERCISE DAILY that attitude of gratitude. "I once was distraught because I had no shoes, until I met a man who had no feet." Unknown. We all have a lot to be grateful for and just need to reinforce that truth with a change in our attitude and at the same time practicing this change in order to make it permanent. We also need to CHOSE GRATEFULNESS IN SPITE OF the unfortunate happenings. We waste time if we think that waiting for everything to be okay in life in order to feel thankful. At the start and end of each day, instead of listing what went wrong as a report for the day, start reflecting on all the things that went right.

REVEL IN THE ORDINARY and don’t settle that there is no greatness in the ordinary. Every time I see a full moon I am mesmerized. It is so awesome to me that something that is over a third the size of the Earth just hangs there in the night. Okay, maybe a part of me is a hopeless romantic, but it is amazing "Normal day, let me be aware of the treasure you are. Let me learn from you, love you, bless you before you depart. Let me not pass you by in quest of some rare and perfect tomorrow. Let me hold you while I may, for it may not always be so." Mary Jean Iron had it right with these words, normalcy is something to be grateful for as well.

Everything is a matter of where you choose to put your attention. You have to remember to APPRECIATE THE ORDINARY. DOING THE WORK OF FORGIVENESS is also important. “Nothing blocks feelings of gratitude more than anger and resentment. The practice of gratitude requires the work of forgiveness. Forgiveness is what moves us from a victim stance to a freedom of psychological and/or spiritual dimensions.” I think an example that I can share that you all may relate to is my own relationship with my mother. I cannot blame anyone for how she treated me as a child. She had her own issues to deal with. But when I was old enough and mature enough to develop my own mind about life, I knew I could either forgive her and help her to help herself or I could be angry the rest of my life and have a non-relationship with my only parent. The power in that statement is that regardless of what had been done to me or by me, I had a choice of how to respond. No matter what there is a choice.

In operating out of gratitude, we should PRACTICE WONDERMENT. Many times children are enchanted by frogs, tree houses, sandlots, and how the sun rises. Even the march of the penguins. We as adults loose the ability to be amazed in wonder because we have allowed life circumstances to make us numb. By infusing wonderment into everyday life, this helps shape the attitude of gratitude. Don’t give into the “grass is greener” ideology either. DON’T COMPARE yourself to others. Happiness is not in a house or new car. Happiness is an inside job. Remember that envy stunts growth.

DEVELOP A GOOD MEMORY, or if you are like me, write things down. Recall with your heart the nice things that people have done for you. Focus on what is right. It is easy for all of us to overlook what is right. GIVE THANKS FOR YOUR BODY. In a time where society focuses so much on body image and fads, remember that having a sound body and mind is a blessing. Don’t give in to the hype about buying things to alter your body or getting surgery to fix stuff. You don’t need to be fixed, you are beautiful already. SAY THANK YOU as often as possible, even for the little things. You will appreciate them more. And something you may never have thought of before, WRITE A THANK YOU LETTER TO YOURSELF of what you are grateful for because of you!!! Yes, that is right! A love note to yourself. That’s hot. Remember that balance in life is a path you pave your own. Me being the DIVA means I probably can spend less time on self then others need to because I have a great self love and spend all that other time trying to love others. For some, they still know need to learn how to love themselves and at the same time figure out what it means to love other folks. Life is a process of figuring out how to be gracious, and I hope this three part series helped all of you.

Things you may have never considered:
This section is to share with you tidbits of knowledge for your everyday life…

The Energy Bar-according to Dr. Mehmet Oz, says that eating these fad foods is like “driving a hummer in the city.” They were designed for athletes. In fact if they have less that three grams of fiber, they will probably make you constipated…

.Since you all brought up poop, according to Dr. Robert Provine (psychology), the reason that men are more amused by jokes that single out one person for their behavior. So when a dude farts among other dudes, it is the funniest thing ever…however this laughter among friends (when done in good fun) is pivotal to male bonding. That is why when crass jokes are cracked, sometimes at someone else’s expense, it is tolerated for the greater good.

So with that said, don’t hurt people feelings, but the important part of that snapshot is that male bonding is important, and laughter helps facilitate that.

Look for family outtakes in the next. Until then, keep it classy.