WELLNESS AUTHOR
Cindy Present
FINDING GRATITUDE THROUGH LOSS n Cindy Present shares how she found gratitude through the loss of a friend.
M
y personal gratitude journey began sitting on my boat dock in the early morning light, peering around the side of our boat in hopes of a gorgeous sunrise. Granted, I thought I’d practiced gratitude for years. I have had numerous “Gratitude Journals” pondering, gazing and then jotting, what I’m most grateful for, day in and day out. Names, places, experiences — even some of my favorite foods would find their way to my pages. For me, it was the discipline of journaling that for which I was most grateful. It was more of a meditative opportunity; a time to be still, mindful and contemplative — all a very important part of dedicated wellness habits.
NOVEMBER 2020
Now, years later, I know this journey has been much different. It was fueled by a gut wrenching pain from the loss of one of my best friends — someone I spent most of every day with: working out, training, wakesurfing, paddleboarding, creating Get Out Girl events; basically doing life together. My kids looked up to her with respect and reverence; my husband in appreciation of her as a confidant and “playmate” of mine; and even my parents as an additional caretaker of theirs. Then, in a blink, life changed. Kristin, a beloved flight nurse, lost her life serving the Travis County Community. As someone who was always the “giver” this would be her final time to provide on this earth. She’d spent decades giving and serving her friends, family
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and numerous communities. That is what fulfilled her, gave her purpose, and passion. As so many know, the walk with grief is one step at a time. My steps in the first many weeks were a blur full of undeniable pain, sorrow and disbelief. I remember distinctly that morning on the dock, waiting for the sun to rise up and shine again. I could tell that today was going to be different; I waited with anticipation to see the rays of hope come over the hill. Today I was embracing a glimmer of hope, a fork in the road of this journey that would bear me the opportunity to budge from the hallows of pain to a hint of promise. I began reflecting on the times I had spent on this very same lake with Kristin: the giggles, the fun, the goofy moments. I wouldn’t have
