Acknowledge Your Desires

I wrestle with what I call the “wanting monster” that lives inside me.  It is astounding how much I find myself wanting.  Things, ways of being, comfort, things, abilities, things.  Did I say things??  Especially at this time of year – I can find all sorts of things to buy myself for Christmas.  It is the season to indulge after all!  At the same time, I dislike all this wanting, of course.  I am humbled by friends who say they have a “buy nothing” Christmas.  I have more of most anything you might name than a person needs.  And still I want.  I want.  I am grateful for my desires – in the way that they illustrate I am alive and curious.  BUT…

Gratefulness.org an organization and website you should (and probably already do) know about.  In their December newsletter, they addressed this issue of wanting.  With their permission, I share their ideas with you.

Each time you have a desire, acknowledge it.

Get curious about it. Where did this desire come from? Is it internal or was it prompted by some external fact or person?

If you actually got this desire to come true, name three things you would do to be grateful for it.

So they are asking us, to be AWARE of our desires as they arise. And then to be CURIOUS about them. And THEN decide whether you will act on the desire. And if you do, how will you be sure to acknowledge its place in your life?

What do you want from this day?

Do you want more

            sun, friends, time?

Or do you want less

            demands, tasks, opinions from others?

Do you want bigger

            ideas, desserts, spaces?

Or, do you want smaller

            pains, hips, to-do lists?

Do you want shorter

            meetings, chapters, phone trees?

Or do you want longer

            sunsets, breaths, naps?

Me too.

All this wanting

something else.

We know better.

Still, we want, wish, wonder

our way through our days.

            ~Penny Hackett-Evans