Wednesday

 Daily Reflection – Grateful for the Journey

This morning I woke up around 2:15, and by 2:22 I was already on my yoga mat. Right away, I felt like I was given a choice: to be happy, to feel sorry for myself, or to give thanks. I chose happiness, and I chose gratitude.

For the first time since last year, I completed 700 push-ups with my yoga practice. It took me under two and a half hours, but I did it—and I’m grateful. I think part of me has been grieving the king of my village since he passed, and today felt like a release.

After yoga, I jogged to church. On the way, a cat ran up to me like he couldn’t wait to say hello. Then I met a young man at a construction site. He looked tired, so I stopped my run and told him to be grateful for his job. I shared my story—how after my stroke, I couldn’t even walk, and how my slow movements became my job. That’s why I want to run another 100 miles again: because health is everything, and gratitude changes everything.

Even with the pain I still feel in my hips, it’s a strong pain—a sign my body is getting stronger. The meditation and yoga ground me. They’ve changed my life.

In church, I drifted between half-asleep and half-meditating, and what came to me is this: God is tired of all our noise. God is silence. Prayer is silence. In that space, I could see clearly—even the children in the church. Many will rebel when they grow older, because they are not free, and their teachers are not prepared to guide them spiritually. Out of twenty, maybe four or six will stay the course.

Today I realized something else: I need to spend more time in places that feed me, not drain me. Sometimes, unconsciously, we put ourselves in places that take our energy. That, too, is a form of psychological abuse.

But today, I am grateful. I am at peace. I have worked hard to reach this stage. I will continue my run with joy and gratitude in my heart.