Le baguette

Damn, that last post was a good post!  How do I top that? 



The intended part two of that genius piece of writing was to deal with appreciation.  Appreciation as a re-lesson.  But like with all lessons that need to become re-lessons over and over again, my inspiration in regards to appreciation has dwindled.  But I'll give it a go anyway and hope to arrive at appreciating my efforts.

Many many years ago, just after Oprah left behind the compelling and interesting human dramas of closeted, married gay men, and racial tensions and hate crime, she spear-headed the trend of self-help.  For the record, self-help is an industry, and it is largely BS!  But even I am guilty of indulging.  I accidentally happened to catch an episode (I was hoping for my favorite things) where she guided her loyal viewers to start a gratitude journal where each and every day, you were to write down at least one thing you were grateful for.  O had started to do this and found it life-changing.  It is really amazing to think that even Oprah has something to be grateful for every day.  If she does, then we certainly do.  While I may be critical of the change in format during the last years of Oprah's reign, I was a fan.  What woman wasn't?

I, forever a cynic and a skeptic, have remembered that episode ever since.  But why?  The only reason why that I can think of is that I, like many (most?) other, at least middle class, Americans feel a bit of entitlement that we can have it all, and that we deserve to.  We are conditioned to believe in the American dream where everything is possible, everything is with-in reach.  Anything less than getting everything you want is therefore equal to failure.  In short, I think because we have this sense of entitlement, we are unaware and to a degree, unable to recognize and appreciate, well, everything.  We take so many things for granted. 

A note - I use "we" because I like company.  I am not using "we" to infer that you, my dear reader, are in fact part of this "we", so please, take "we" with a grain of salt.  


We are obsessed with ourselves and our wants, and we expect to get what we want and if we don't then we feel shorted, depressed, and disadvantaged, and are left with a feeling of woe is me.  Ironically, I am actually in a state of woe is me at the moment...

So back to the idea of appreciation.  As you may recall, I attended a conference on mental illness last weekend, and I was fortunate to sit in on a testimonial given by a delightful woman who suffers from obsessive compulsive disorder.  Her disorder at its worst, left her home-bound for over 6 months, fearful of what would happen if she left the house.  For over 7 years she was unable to drive a car.  This disorder manifests itself in many different and intrusive ways, but for each victim, they find themselves prisoners of certain behaviors that intrudes and and inhibits their ability to lead "normal" lives.  But really, what is normal?  And why the desire for normal?  (But alas, that is material for another, long-winded post).

The brave and engaging speaker said that one of the biggest moments in her life (she's around 30 at this time) was when she drove her young girls to the grocery store and went grocery shopping selecting items, and not performing her previously OCD-mandated touching routines.  Wow, to be able to go grocery shopping like a "normal" person, was a huge accomplishment for her.  She then said that while her illness was debilitating at times, (OCD is not curable, it is a life-long struggle to control the urges), she now looked at it as a strength.  She learned to view her illness in terms of the positive - she gained a perspective that allowed her to appreciate everything.  She learned to appreciate the things that most of us take for granted and because she was able to own that perspective, she felt lucky, she experienced true gratitude.

This reminds me of the movie "As good as it gets".  Conincidentally, the lead in this movie is also afflicted with OCD.  The highlight of this movie is when the lead (Jack Nicholson) pays the female lead (Helen Hunt) an unusual compliment.  To paraphrase, he says to her that he watches people all day long meet and interact with her, but not notice just how incredibly amazing she is, they all miss it.  He doesn't miss it, he sees just how amazing she is.  And because he "gets it" he then feels better about himself.

My point is that there is so much to be grateful for, and so much to appreciate, so why do we forget?  Why do we become so wrapped up in ourselves, that we miss it?  Why do we take for granted the beauty in the simple?   

Maybe a gratitude journal isn't a bad idea.  Maybe we all need a daily reminder to look at not only what is obviously good, but what is simply good.  Focus on appreciating everything, and not just the grand.  Maybe we could all benefit from that simple perspective.

For today, I most appreciated being able to go to the grocery store to purchase a baguette.  I appreciated carrying it home wielding it as a  bo-staff.  I appreciated that the baguette is symbolic of the French, which I recognize.  I appreciated that I am one of the few who derives such pleasure in a seemingly simple purchase.  I appreciate that I "get" what others don't. 

I am sure not Oprah, nor do I encourage silly self-help journals, but I sure do task you all with thinking more about the simple and great things you have to appreciate, and I do also task you with a baguette.