On Receiving

I recently received an unexpected and generous gift. My first instincts were: “That’s too much” and “You didn’t need to do that.”

And then I caught myself, breathed a deep breath, and took in the generosity and the beauty of the feelings embodied in the gift with gratitude and grace.

I allowed myself to receive rather than resist.

You are probably aware of your patterns around resisting unwanted experiences. Perhaps you have learned to sit with or even lean into that type of discomfort.

But do you also resist positive experiences?

How often do you deflect or argue against a compliment? Or feel you need to quickly return the compliment? How graciously do you receive gifts?

You may, like me, have a reflexive pattern of resisting receiving.

Resistance impacts your energy systems, whether you are resisting a “positive” experience or a “negative” experience.

Next time you receive a gift or a compliment, practice saying “thank you.” Just “thank you.”

Breathe into the discomfort. Then, breathe into life, grace, and gratitude.

Allow the beauty of what is being given to flow through you.

“Thank you” is all that is needed.

Kirstin Lindquist