The Power of Team Effort: Human Form Not Required to Play

Do you say "thank you" to Siri?  Do you talk back to robo-callers?  I was on hold the other day and the computer voice truly sounded like a friend, they are making those voices very realistic these days.  And they respond to a question and they "direct my call"......I like it!!  I don't want the world to be run by robots, but I am happy for all the help I can get in life.

In terms of thinking about things as real, I remember reading a passage where an author said to "bless your bills".  I have thought about that off and on and could never wrap my head around it.  "Thank you, Mr. Bill for landing in my mailbox today" just felt off to me; because I wasn't really thankful about it.  We check our credit cards online so we aren't surprised by the monthly total, but I still don't enjoy seeing the bill "in person" ;)

I had an epiphany today about it, though.  I looked at my bank balance online and I decided to "thank" it for serving me.  "Thank you, money that I have in this moment for serving me."  For whatever reason, that resonates with me.  Then, I decided to "thank" the air for serving me, to "thank" the road I traveled today for serving me and to "thank" the sun for serving me.  Creating that positive connection with non-human pieces of my life makes me smile.  

By the way, I didn't hear them say "you are welcome, Conni", they didn't talk back to me.....but it makes me feel like we are a team, instead of rivals.  When it rains, I can feel "authentic" thanking the rain for serving the earth even if I'm getting wet.  

I had done a gratitude journal when Oprah started that craze.  It is always great to be grateful, but it didn't create "something greater than its parts" for me.  My new idea, "thanking my gifts for serving me", does feel uplifting and expansive.  And that is when I know I'm on the right path :)

When I was driving yesterday, I have a traffic app that said "there is an object on the side of the road up ahead".  I said "thank you" to her (or it).  My friend and I decided to name her "Donna".  

I believe we all have equal access to the ability of our gifts and talents to serve us.  Of course, we all have access to the sun, the air and nature.  I think the key is acknowledging and embracing the gift of life in this moment.  I don't understand why bad things happen to good people and I don't understand evil.  But I do know that opening myself up to joy allows more joy into my life.

I still feel a tiny bit guilty when I hang up before I complete a customer service survey.  Yes, I know I'm not hurting anyone's feelings by hanging up on a robot.  I am even more grateful to humans who assist me in my journey!!  We are all in this together:  humans, androids and inanimate objects, too.

Have a great day!

Xo

Conni