I was having a conversation with an old friend who expressed how blessed he feels to be able to travel all over the world. I absolutely love when people reap the benefits of their labor and get to live out their wildest dreams. It is beautiful and should be celebrated.
I also know that blessings are not just the positive physical manifestations of our goals. So I responded that I am happy that he has had these amazing experiences. I also noted that being able to travel the world is not simply a blessing, but having the means and ability to do so.
A few years ago, I had a similar conversation with another friend who mentioned that if someone doesn’t have a passport, it’s because they’re not putting in the effort to explore and adjust their life. I initially took it as a joke and said, we both come from a small island and not everyone has the means to do so. I also said, “You’re making that [insert company name] money.” He took offense to me stating the obvious. It was like, how dare I state that he has more means to do so. It was baffling and I left that conversation there. We haven’t spoken since.
A cliché
I have noticed the word blessed has become such a cultural cliché for every successful moment in life and nowhere is it more apparent than on social media. A simple search of #blessed results in millions of tags that will leave you bewildered. It has been attached to everything from gaining that great summer body, to a vacation, a new house or job, a new car and everything in between.
We have conflated success or positive outcomes with being blessed, so these #blessed posts come off as reductive and materialistic, deviating from the authentic meaning of being blessed. This is the moment when I asked myself “Do people really understand what it means to be blessed?”
Blessings aren’t always visible nor do they always bring joy.
Blessings in the awful
In The Lives We Actually Have: 100 Blessings for Imperfect Days, by Kate Bowler and Jessica Richie, the language of blessings is described as “that strange mixture of awful and divine experiences in our lives.” Yes awful and divine. When we think of blessings, we tend to think of things we can see that invoke joy and contentment, but rarely to we think of the blessings that we cannot see or that bring discomfort.
Blessings can emerge from painful events. It is not something that we tend to think of or like to discuss regarding blessings. These situations are not blessings in and of themselves, but are conduits for blessings in our lives. Sometimes awful situations are just that, awful, but sometimes they force us to pivot by confronting our limitations and learn a new way of thinking.
Human beings are creatures of habit, don’t sometimes takes things being shaken up to force us to walk into our blessings. You see, not getting that job or promotion can be a blessing, not getting in a relationship with that person can be a blessing, not going to that particular event where chaos ensued is a blessing. Blessings aren’t always visible nor do they always emerge from a place of contentment and joy. It can follow adversity. It also solidifies the belief that what is meant for you will be for you.
Blessings in the ordinary
We observe or hear of the lives of others and may want to live vicariously through them. In aspiring for these extraordinary experiences, we overlook the simple yet profound blessings in our everyday lives. These small moments of joy, peace, and connection are the threads that weave together well-lived life. Recognizing and appreciating the blessings in the ordinary can transform our perspective, filling our days with gratitude and contentment.
“Enjoy the little things in life, for one day you may look back and realize they were the big things.” — Robert Brault
There is so much to appreciate in our day to day, mundane lives. It holds a certain sacredness that far too often we miss out on. Being present and finding beauty in the simple things are attributes of blessings. You may not be able to hop on a flight every couple of months, or attend those amazing parties and have the amazing home that you see on full display, but you can be grateful and bask in having a supportive and loving partner, a family that loves and respects you, children who make you proud among other things.
Your ordinary life is a blessing.
There are also the simpler things like having a cup of coffee or tea that doesn’t have to be reheated five time, a lazy morning in bed alone or with the one you love, a walk through nature, the sound of soothing raindrops against your window pane. The list can go on. The ordinary moments of our lives are filled with extraordinary blessings waiting to be acknowledged. Let’s take the time to appreciate the blessings in the ordinary, for they are the true treasures of our everyday existence.
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