Thank you for sharing about Milton Erikson. What an inspiring story. In answer to your first question I know I am lucky but I stop there and I think that is part of my rut. Your second question requires action and that is what I need to do.

I’ve had a lot of physical problems, too. Knowing the story of Milton Erickson has been an inspiration to me during tough times. He was the father of modern medical hypnosis, and when someone asked him how he did it he said: “I was lucky. I was completely paralyzed as a child.” In fact, he had polio and at one point the doctor told his parents he wouldn’t live until morning. He overheard them and had his parents move his bed so he could look at the east window of his bedroom. Then he stayed awake all night so he could see the sunrise. The reason he was so sensitive to people–and so great at hypnosis–was because when he lying in his bed, not being able to move, he tuned into what was going on around him. He could tell who was coming up the walk by the unique sounds of the gate opening.

Granted, it’s a bit of a stretch sometimes, but when things get tough I ask myself, “Okay, Jean, Old Gal, how does this make you lucky? What’s the opportunity here?” It’s not a bad spiritual path to try to follow.