What’s a Blessing?
And what to do with them
You know what’s kinda fun? I’ll tell ya. Writing. Writing with no filters. Just pure brain to keyboard. Hmm. Pretty soon it’ll probably be just straight brain to device without moving fingers… but not yet. Anyways, here’s some thoughts about blessings. Again, as I say in my bio, thoughts and opinions are subject to change.
Conclusion
Temporary solution and conclusion — enjoy the process — if you find a way to do that, you’re the blessed one.
Ok, there’s my answer for now and here’s the mental back and forth I went through and am still going through to get there.
Intro
I can get tripped up by thinking, “why am I so blessed”. But I think this is a stupid thought experiment and a waste of time and mental energy to beat yourself up about why you are so blessed when there are “starving kids in Africa’. ← Super brutal thought… but it’s what we say. So instead of wasting time and guilt tripping myself asking why I am so blessed, I’ve started asking myself WHAT TO DO with my enormous blessing. But before we get any further I need to sort through and attempt to define blessing.
When someone says their blessed it almost can come off as arrogant to me. This is probably a stupid way to think about this word, but I see this word on t-shirts and tons of hashtags, such as: #blessed — 111M posts on IG #blessup — 1.3M #soblessed — 2.7M. It’s almost like a “humble flex” to say, “I’m so blessed”.
Let’s Explore the Word
GOOGLE definition time —
Blessing — “a beneficial thing for which one is grateful; something that brings well-being”. (This came as the fourth definition, after 3 religious ones).
Wow what a nice and loose term. A “thing” for which one is grateful (I’ve been spelling grateful like greatful my entire life). A THING! Aka anything. Hmm. And that thing brings well being.
According to the definition, a possession is not a blessing. A million dollar house is not necessarily a blessing. It’s considered a blessing only if you’re thankful for it. So you’re not living a blessed life if you’re not thankful for what you have. It’s hard to be thankful! Truly it is! We lose perspective in a split second and we desire what we do not have. It’s so simple to get lost in this desire as we compare ourselves to others. We want more, more, more all the time. It’s a highly infectious disease!
Desire is tricky. Desire is what pushes us to the next level. We need desires to be human. However, we cannot let these desires get in the way of our happiness. “Desire is a contract that you make with yourself to be unhappy until you get what you want.” When I’m sick or injured, I desire one thing, health. When I’m healthy, my brain tends to run rampant with desires.
Mental chatter is so loud, but sometimes we don’t even hear it because we are so used to it!
By definition, blessings have nothing to do with social status, wealth, or opportunities. Blessings are the narrative we put behind an object and I think it’s gotta be harder for the rich to live a blessed life. Living a blessed life means living in a state of gratitude. It’s tough to be grateful when all you want is the next new thing.
So…What to Do!?!?!
I don’t know the balance between desire, being contempt, and reaching for the stars. Again the answer is presence, and making the most out of every moment. Desires and goals are healthy and can be attained by making the most out of your present situation.
Based on the definition, blessings are things for which you are grateful. I take for granted that I’m fed, clothed, sheltered, healthy and much more. Maybe the question should have been, “Am I even blessed?”.
…
Woah
-Paul Thomas Keating the 1st
