Reflections on Gratitude, Perspective and Living in the Moment.

Since hearing the NPR story about the crossing of Martha Mason, I've been doing some serious thinking about gratitude, perspective and how to better live in my moment.


Martha crossed on May 4, 2009 a month before her 72nd birthday. She spent nearly 61 years of her life in an iron lung, the result of contracting polio at the age of 11. She told her doctors that she would do more than live her life with polio and the Iron Lung, she would live above it. She graduated from High School and College with High Honors. 

In 1994, voice-recognition software allowed Martha to write her autobiography and have a small measure of privacy despite being paralyzed from the neck down,  living full time in an iron lung dependent on the care received from others. Her memoirs, "Breath: Life in the Rhythm of an Iron Lung", was published in 2003 and was the focus of a documentary film in 2005.


On occasion, I slip into the very human and not so pretty habit of judging and comparing my life to others. Hearing Martha's story sent me to that less than lovely place first. "Thank Goodness I don't have to live life in an Iron Lung".

Martha's story is strong enough to survive that humaness. Her story is a clarion call - reminding me that it is what I make of life that matters, not the perceived hardships that come along the way. There is no need for comparisons, we all get the chance to experience the blessing of accepting and overcoming challenge. They look different on each person, but they are there, those opportunities, those lessons, those perceptions. It seems Martha made her Iron Lung a blessing, welcoming it into her life. I image, because it gave her life. As she says in the clip, "I never really give it a lot of thought." hmm Perspective. Acceptance and moving forward to embrace life. Wow. Thank you Martha!

Gratitude is a dynamic process. Giving and taking. Something our tradition spends a lot of time, teaching and energy on. Each ceremony includes a giveaway - the act of expressing gratitude. We are regularly reminded about all there is to be grateful for, and are given many opportunities to express ourselves in gratitude. Giving and taking. While I am often grateful, I am also forever a student of Gratitude. Of how to live more in the moment of giving and taking with a grateful heart. I like that it takes practice.

Thank you Martha, for reminding me to be grateful for my life - just as it is - and to see the blessing in anything that comes my way. Thank you for holding the mirror up for me to take a good look. I am grateful to have touched paths with you, through a radio new progam, the internet and your story. What a beautiful life.One person can make a difference and often never realizes the impact they have had on others. Breathe!

Have a day filled with gratitude, beauty and perspective everyone!
~Thea