The Bronze Lining

I don’t know how many times I’ve said, “Oh, I call that The Bronze Lining.”  I don’t know how well it’s received.  I certainly try to be sensitive to the situation.  There can be a too-soonness, a tactlessness, an arrogance, when I say it.  And while that’s not my aim, it does sometimes happen.

But really, even if it’s not *my* bronze lining, it’s still a reminder that I can moment in gratitude.

While a Silver Lining is a lesson learned, a positive outcome, some benefit that comes from a perceived negative situation, a Bronze Lining is about being grateful for what is, exactly as it is. 

A friend and I were driving a car from New Mexico to Washington state so I could give it to my daughter, who’d just gotten her license.  We rolled it and walked away (more details in the photo, which is at the bottom in case you want to skip it).  

There were so many bronze linings: we lived; we had fully-functioning limbs and laughs; the seatbelts worked; *it wasn’t my daughter driving when the tire delaminated*; we were near enough to family that they could easily help us out; it was daytime and there were lovely “strangers” helping us out.  The list goes on.

The Bronze Lining is about focusing on what we have, and it doesn’t take a huge car accident for one (or more!) to show up.  It’s about looking for them, and letting that gratitude really permeate your being.  What do you think about The Bronze Lining? Do you notice them in your life? Do you find it annoying when someone points them out?