Obsessively Grateful

The other day, my daughter, Trinity, showed me the youtube channel of the LaBrant Family. Have you seen it?  They record everything from spontaneous dance parties to the birth of their children and share it with the world through social media.

I spent an hour fully sucked into their channel, clicking video after video.  It was so easy to slip into a space, distracted from what was going on around me, and become fully focused on something that seemed funnier, better, sweeter, easier than my actual life.

Webster's Dictionary defines the word obsessed as having the mind fully occupied by an idea or object.  We're pretty good in this country about being obsessed by a lot of things-- including people like the LaBrandt family.

We are obsessed with celebrities.
We are obsessed with tv shows.
We are obsessed with technology and gadgets.
We are obsessed with food.

Our minds are completely and utterly filled and occupied all. the. time.
But, filled with what? And for what purpose?

I can't say that I felt better after watching those videos for an hour.  They didn't make me a better mother, sister, friend, wife, or daughter.  They didn't inspire me or motivate me or push me out of my comfort zone.  They didn't draw me closer to God or remind me who I am in His eyes.

My friend Lisa gave me a sign the other day that hit me square between the eyes.
The sign says
Be Obsessively Grateful

It was a difficult, beautiful reminder of what should be filling my mind and heart each day.
Difficult because every day, there are 1,000 things that seem more urgent, important, or easier than being grateful.
Beautiful because every day there are 1,000 things that I need to be grateful for.

I have nothing against movies and tv for entertainment, social media for inspiration, food for nourishment and community,  or technology for communication.  None of these things should dominate my life in a way that monopolizes my time, attention, money, and effort.

Nothing should occupy my mind so fully that I don't have the bandwidth left to focus on what is the most important.

I think that the LaBrandt Family makes videos of themselves because they love the life they live, and are thankful for the daily, joyful moments that make them feel alive.  Instead of watching them delight in their life, I want to make sure that I'm actually obsessed with my own life.

Daily. Obsessively. Grateful.