photo by steed media service

It's almost become a cliché to hear someone say they are blessed. We hear it all the time, see it on bumper stickers, etc., 'I'm too blessed to be stressed,' being just one of the oft-recited homilies. A veritable cottage industry has sprung up based on a single word, but really, what does being blessed mean?

Based on the actions of a few people, I'd surmise that it means conspicuous consumption, dog-eat-dog social and business interactions and cutthroat, winner-takes-all competition. For some, the adoration of other people is the blessing. For others, being nearly invisible to other people is the blessing. Are blessings something to covet and hoard? If the universe smiles on you do you have to return the favor? I say yes.

Is there a layer of purpose beneath lucky breaks that come your way? Is there an inherent responsibility in accepting a benefit that one has not toiled to acquire? I hope that when we receive manna from heaven - because that's what a blessing is - that it's OK to rejoice. After all, joy is hard for mere mortals to contain. When one has been unexpectedly lifted above a difficult circumstance, it's nearly impossible to stifle the overwhelming relief that pours through the spirit. Why wouldn't we want our fellow human beings to have that experience too?

Some of the hardhearted among us behave as though they have a lock on grace. They have it, you can't have it, and don't even think about asking them for what they've already claimed as their just deserts. How myopic. I subscribe to another oft-recited utterance, 'you are blessed to be a blessing,' not to be boastful, or a show-off or proud, but to share your gifts. For when you share freely of your time, talent and innermost self, that is when the true blessings begin to flow. Peace. blessedness Munson Steed, Publisher

pubpage@rollingout.com

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