“When you begin to see life is the miracle, you’ll recognize moments of magic much more easily.”

Dear Universe,

Years ago (but what feels like lifetimes ago—time is funny like that), I found myself in a dark period.

Life will do that from time to time—drop in, give you a situation you didn’t ask for and then sit back and watch as you try to navigate your way out of the big, fat, dark mess.

It feels like a gladiator fight: you against life, you against the odds.

Of course it really isn’t that at all. It just feels like that in the moment. But when that feeling is all you can feel, it tends to take over and feel as real as real can be.

So there I was—in a gladiator fight like no other, me having no idea how to win this one.

I’m sure we’ve all been there at some point. And the longer the darkness persists, the angrier we become. The angrier we become, the more the darkness persists. It’s a cryptic hamster wheel that feels inescapable.

One day though, I had a simple revelation.

I wanted to look for the light.

Smack in the middle of this bleak, black hole, I wanted to find golden nuggets of light, of happiness, of hope and of love.

No big moment led me to this mission. I think I was just sick of swimming in muck, of dragging my already exhausted body through the sledge, of feeling like I was trying so hard and going nowhere at all.

I think I thought something like, “is there anything good around me?”

And so I decided to look.

Looking went like this: Move through the muck, but instead of focusing on the ugly, nasty swamp, trying to focus on anything else that wasn’t muck and would give me hope.

I went a step further. I wanted to document this. I wanted to make sure I was really looking, really taking it in. As a writer, I figured the best way to do it would be to write it down.

So I turned to my laptop, opened up a blank document and titled it “Miracles.”

I called it Miracles because at that point, I thought if I could find tiny sparks of light—daily—well frankly, it felt like that would be a miracle!

When you are in the dark so long you think you’ll forget how to recognize joy, happiness, excitement and the good kind of goose bumps—the ones that arrive when something amazing is happening or about to happen.

But you don’t forget. It’s actually impossible to forget because the whole reason we are here is to live a life of love and joy.

So once you turn on the light switch, the light is all you can see. Spotting the miracles isn’t just possible, it’s easy.

Suddenly I was more aware of happiness, kindness, touching moments and messages from the Universe.

I saw kindness in strangers’ faces. I saw happiness in kids trick-or-treating. I saw generosity from a friend’s mom who just kept showing up for me in so many thoughtful, touching ways. And I saw “love” on a tiny speck of graffiti on a doorway, the word just waiting for me to notice.

And there was more.

There were friends who didn’t give up on me, and family who stood by me. There was my mentor at grad school who took me under his wing to make sure I would finish my program. There were so many sparks of light that certain days I had to document more than one.

And I kept documenting. Day after day, turned into months. Months of daily miracles all lined up for me to scroll through any time I needed to.

It felt pretty magnificent and downright awe inspiring.

Proof. Proof that life wasn’t working against me. Proof that what you seek is what you will find. Proof that the more you turn towards the light, the more the light finds and shines on you.

This is fact. I may not be certain of many of life’s mysteries, but this is an undeniable truth I know down in my core.

Slowly I stopped documenting every day. Instead I decided to make a list at the end of every month at what miracles came my way that past month. Sometimes the list would almost be a page (single-spaced!) long. At first this surprised me, but then I wondered why I was so surprised.

Life itself is a miracle. How can we not bear witness to miraculous moments whenever we stop and observe?

I’m sad to say that eventually the list making stopped.

Truthfully, it seemed the more I climbed out of my black hole and the more things came together, the less I thought about consciously looking for miracles. It just felt like I was living one big miracle.

Still, I think of the list a lot. It comforts me to know that any time I need it, that document is there for me—an instant uplifting, soul-boosting, read.

It feels good to look back momentarily to see how far I’ve journeyed (spiritually and physically) since then.

It reminds me of how far I’ve come, that no dark period can last forever.

I’ve also come to realize this: when things are going badly, we become acutely aware of gratitude. We express it more and we feel it more.

But when things are going well, we can often slip off our gratitude train. We don’t mean to, but we inadvertently begin to take things for granted.

This is why as part of my daily, spiritual practice, I make it a point to include gratitude. It may not be typing out a love letter of miracles, but it’s satisfying, and on the rough days it’s soul-shifting.

I start each day by giving thanks—thanks for another day and whatever else feels fitting. And I end each day giving thanks and highlighting the best part of my day. I ask my husband to do this with me. I ask him what he’s most grateful for that day. When he says the same thing too many days in a row, I push him for another answer.

Don’t ever let your gratitude become rote or routine.

These simple acts keep things in perspective. They keep me grounded. They keep me happy. They keep me sane on those days that can feel insane and unfair.

It reminds me that those days are there for a reason. Looking for the golden nugget helps me pinpoint it.

I recommend a gratitude practice to everyone. I recommend you find what works for you and that you do it, often.

And when I see someone in a really low place, I always always recommend documenting miracles.

Don’t wait for things to get bad, though. Look for the golden nuggets today, tomorrow and the day after that.

Your soul will thank you. Your future self will be better for it. Your happiness will multiply.

And soon you’ll find blessings in the most ordinary of tasks, the most simple of things—like reading something inspirational that uplifts you.

Today, my golden nugget is that muck. I’m grateful for having been there. For if I hadn’t, I’m certain I wouldn’t be here now. And here, now? It’s better than I could have hoped, imagined or prayed for.

Because life will do that from time to time—drop in and surprise you in the most delightful, serendipitous, amazing ways. Life can give you incredible gifts and blessings—the kind that make you question what you did to deserve them. And in return? All life wants is a whispered, heartfelt, genuine thank you.

These days I find myself whispering a hell of a lot.

So ask yourself—what’s your golden nugget today? And if you feel called to, and want to document it, share it here with me.

With Gratitude,