A spider story

and Gratitude

Today is my first time writing in a blog circle! This project originated in Kelly Rae Roberts' "Flying Lessons" e-course and is scheduled to go live on the 3rd thursday of every month.

What's a blog circle you ask? Well, the basic idea is to have a network of blogs publishing a post on the same theme at the same time, one post linking to the next until we're back to the first post and the circle is complete. It is a wonderful way to take readers on a journey to discover different blogs, different people they may never have come across otherwise, so it is also about being open-minded! Today's theme is gratitude, what we are thankful for. Well, I had started working on a post but something happened that made me want to change it entirely...

Here it is: I don't like spiders. Oh no I don't. They are one of my deepest childhood fears and the nasty little beasts creep back into my dreams every once in a while. I could really do without that, that would actually be something to really be thankful for! But I don't want to pass my somewhat irrational fear on to my kids, so I've learnt to gently trap them into a glass and release them outside (or call my husband when he's around so he comes to the rescue...). I even show them to the kids and have them look at the different colors, count the 8 legs. Lately I've gone as far as teaching the kids not to destroy spider webs in the garden and taking pictures of the most spectacular ones (good girl!). But still, deep down, I don't like them, especially NOT in the house. Brrr...

But now that the weather is colder, they loooove to get inside (poor cold little things...) and I'm getting a bit paranoid. When I'm busy and in a good mood, I don't think about them at all. But every time I feel tired, stressed and overwhelmed, I instinctively start checking every dark corner of the stairs, ceiling etc. Last night my daughter woke me up at 5:30 am. I was sleepy, grumpy and when I climbed the stairs to her bedroom in semi-darkness, part of me was dreading that my bare feet might encounter one of those little monsters. After checking on my daughter I went to the bathroom and for a split second my half asleep brain imagined a big spider coming down from the ceiling, aaarghhh!... I shook off the vision and thought very clearly "I have to stop this nonsense or I will actually make it happen" (you know the law of attraction?).

Well, now the day has fully started, the kids have left for school and I'm sitting in my bed thinking about this "Thank you" post I'm supposed to write. And half-way through my draft, guess who comes gracefully down from the ceiling and lands right on my nose????? No kidding! I'm sorry to say that the poor thing didn't quite make it safely to the garden this time... I jumped so violently that I almost broke my glasses and my laptop. But then... I had a good laugh!

Because yes, dear Universe, I hear You loud and clear: I must not focus on my fears. Instead I must always remember to focus on the positive things that I really want, and I know You'll take care of manifesting them into my life. So this is my thank you today: thank you for that little itsy bitsy spider that reminded me, once more, to pay attention to the signs... Thank you for all the little and big everyday miracles (love, family, friends and art being the most wonderful ones). Thank you for the "little winks" that are constantly sent my way and remind me that I am not alone on this journey, that I can surrender and let my own yellow brick road unfold under my feet, with perfect love and perfect trust...

... and you, what are you thankful for today?

The following link will take you to Nancy's blog "Rainbow Light Angel". Nancy helps connect people to heart wisdom, through angels, animals, reiki healing touch, nature, writing and photography...

http://rainbowlightangel.com/2012/11/circles/

NB: This blog circle is an international group so it's a bit of a challenge to coordinate the different time zones. If you find that the circle is not yet complete, please check back later today!