OVER DOSING APPRECIATION

(Day One in uptown Sedona)
© 2009 Howard McQueen

I am staying this week in Sedona, AZ, in a private house, in my own guest suite.
This is an incredibly sweet setup and at half the price of the cheapest hotel in or around town, I feel blessed.

As I begin this my first morning here, I have just entered the kitchen and bumped into the owner and my host, Ms. M. We talked just a bit and then she rummaged for a moment to respond to my request to link into the house wireless internet. She pulled out a thick folder and right in front was the necessary network key.

I quickly made connection and we were both happy campers, having navigated another technical barrier imposed by this modern world. I made a first attempt to express my gratitude for being with her and enjoying her house. Looking back, I can now see that this first attempt at gratitude was inserted into a container of judgment.

We so often think of judgment as criticism, i.e. what was wrong or was not ideal (needing improvement) within our experience. Judgment can just as easily sneak in under the guise of comparison, coupled with praise. To my way of thinking, this is positively charged judgment, inflated by the ego, and this energy can really fail to hit the mark and affect the heart-felt-ness of gratitude.

So, here was my first attempt at gratitude

“Well now that the internet connection is alive, the rating of this beautiful B&B has jumped from a 4.7 to a 5.3.”

My host looked quite perplexed and obviously lost in ambiguity. Her face, beaming only a moment before, how carried the confusion of question marks. I then quickly tried to explain my rating system and stopped …

Hmmm. This situation deserves a do-over.

We both quickly recovered from my faux pas (false step), and about five minutes later I made my second approach at gratitude

I gestured in the kitchen and said, with a deep and natural conviction “You’ve really made this such an intimate and sacred space”

This raised a warm beaming smile on her face and she joined in to amplify this heart-felt-ness and thanked me for appreciating the fruits of her vision and the intimacy held in her space.

This second appreciation spoke to the deeper spirit essence of her care and attention placed in the shared space she opened to select guests. This appreciation was carried in the clean container of appreciation and gratitude, without any comparison or judgment. The first attempt dropped from the sky like a lead balloon.

Great lesson learned. Take a sip from the well so as to not be speaking from surface ego, especially when you are offering blessings.

We are always faced with choosing to speak from the shallowness of ego or the depth of our being. What will it be? How will you communicate your gratitude and blessings.

~ ~ ~
This moment to moment listening to the heart (or deviations from the heart) is such great practice to stay sweet and in touch with the heart and the wellspring of spirit. It guides us to live more and more in touch with our love and authenticity.