How I Almost Quit Being Grateful (7 Minute Prayers): Day 84

The Man in the Pew Show with Phil Mershon

Have you ever started a project only to find it feels pointless or a waste of time? Have you ever quit something just because it became too hard?

I have a confession to make. I almost quit this 90-Day Gratitude Challenge on day 80.

Why I almost quit the 90-Day Gratitude Challenge

On Day 72 my wife woke me in the middle of the night with some very troubling news. But I couldn’t comprehend what she was saying because I had taken some melatonin to help me sleep—a major issue for me I discussed on day 45. My brain was foggy and her words didn’t compute.

When I awoke the next morning I remembered that something significant had happened so I asked her about it only to discover it was worse than I feared. I froze.

While I can’t share specifics, suffice it to say it’s news that would make any parent panic. It’s like the call we received in 2019 from a stranger telling us that our daughter had been in a car crash. But this was worse.

I had already written and recorded a couple of episodes for the challenge, so I took a break from writing while we worked on the problem. But when it came time to start writing again the words stopped flowing. I went into my archives to find things I had written before that I could repurpose. That worked for a few days.

And then day 80 confronted me. I had nothing written or recorded. I spiraled into a new level of depression and felt stuck. In fact, I didn’t feel grateful and felt hypocritical telling others to be grateful, even though I knew that was part of my escape path.

For full article and show notes see: https://maninthepew.com/gc84