Ridiculiciously Blessed – A state of being where an individual has a visceral realization of the ridiculous and delicious nature of their blessings.
When my kids were young, we used to take long car trips from our home to their school….from their school to lessons, friends’ homes, back home….we live in Los Angeles so this had become common place. I have to say, I never minded the time in the car with my children. In fact, I welcomed it. It felt like we were in suspended animation, neither here nor there, but rather held in a place where nothing was expected of us and we had the gift of connecting through sharing stories of our day, playing games, singing songs or riding in silence…together…in between here and there. One of the games we used to play was taking turns sharing the ways in which we were blessed. One day, one of the kids said “We are ridiculiciously blessed!” I thought how very true this was. How steeped in blessings our lives were, even in the most challenging of times. This thought would linger with me for years to come.
Our culture feeds a perspective that focuses our lens on what we don’t have, what we “need,” what always seems just beyond our reach, creating an ever-constant feeling of discontent and robbing us of sacred moments, days, months, and years where we barely notice the depths of blessings available to us in every moment. Focusing our lens on our blessings often takes practice and a commitment to living consciously aware and in search of the beauty that surrounds us in our lives. It may also mean redefining our interpretation of blessings and values in such a way that what had previously been invisible is made visible, palpably visible in our daily lives.
“What you focus on you will surely see through your self-fulfilling vision.”
There is a great exercise that I would like to invite you to join me in. Settle in somewhere quiet. Set a timer on your phone or watch for 60 seconds. Now, look at your surroundings and memorize everywhere that has the color blue. Take in every detail of blue that you can possibly find. Don’t read past this point until you’ve done this part of the exercise or you’ll miss an important opportunity. Now, close your eyes and try to remember where all the red is. Don’t look around! Close your eyes and see what you can recall. Chances are, since it’s your environment, you will be able to identify a few red items but when you open your eyes, you will begin to see all the areas that are red that you did not remember or realize were there. This seemingly simple exercise was a profound experience for me and I began to become very conscious of what my lens was zooming in on and the opportunity I had to widen this lens, refocus, and, by beginning to see what was previously not seen, alter the perspective of my life.
Perspective, Friendship and a Global Village
One of my life’s greatest blessings can be found in my lifelong gift of friendship with my dear friend Tonya. Tonya came to live with my family during our senior year in high school after a series of life events that could fill endless blogs. She became family to me and my family and has been there for so many of my life’s most meaningful moments, including the last moments of my mother’s life. We had both come to a place in our lives where we wanted to create something together that could impact the world in a positive way. We had both led successful businesses throughout our lives but the idea of joining forces for good had always been a dream we shared. As we explored the various ways in which we might accomplish this, one message began to rise above the rest….create a community that consciously and actively recognizes and creates an abundance of blessings…blessings so rich that you can’t help but realize that you are Ridiculiciously Blessed! A place where a global community would have an opportunity to share their perspectives on the ways in which they are uniquely blessed….where you have the chance to share and receive daily blessings, reminders, and inspiration on how to live more acutely aware of your blessings, how to cultivate blessings for yourself and others, and how to shift perspectives in the world in which you live and breathe. This is the online community that we welcome you into. A community designed to center you in the core of your gratitude for this extraordinary life that you are living.
We invite you to visit often, to leave a blessing for someone whose life may be forever changed by taking in your unique expression of blessings, and ultimately, a place where you come to be reminded of the living example you can be when you choose to live Ridiculiciously Blessed.