Blessings In Your Everyday Life

Throughout our daily lives, we tend to overlook the small, yet influential and meaningful blessings that the Gods, Spirits and Heroes may give us. And thus, we don't notice them in our busy and sometimes stressful lives. But they are important to take note of, because they give us peace, purpose and even enlightenment, and make us realize that even in our worst times, perhaps life isn't so bad. It goes all the way back to the writings of Homer in The Odyssey when we're basically taught to recognize a good omen when we see it.

I'll give you an example from my own life recently. During one of my outings on a regular day, I decided to stop by the local Exxon Mobil and cash in some of my old lottery scratch off tickets, worth about $6. I bought a couple of new ones with it and hit $50. Certainly not a shopping spree, but it was enough for me to enjoy the rest of the day to myself, some time away from home and work. And so, recognizing it as a small blessing of leisure that could only do me good at that point in my life, I took it and enjoyed myself.

To a lot of people, such an event might not seem significant at all, but not if you know how to see everyday blessings. But it's not just immediate things like that. Consider your life, your health, your family, the nice weather, the fact that you have a job, a spouse, children, food, a home and a comfy bed. There are so many everyday blessings that you never take note of, but should.

In the Goodness of the Gods,

I'll see you at the next Herm down the road,

Chris Aldridge.

The One Day I Left Without My Hermes Talisman, I Broke Down

Part of my regular blogging is to discuss my daily life as a Hellenist, and the experiences that happen therein, whether big or small. And I felt that this one was noteworthy for a profound reason.

Being the God of roads and the Patron of travelers, I have come to realize how deeply Hermes is involved with humankind, because people are always on the move. We are not stationary beings. We are always going somewhere, whether it be down the road to the store or work, or on a long vacation or journey. So I recently got into the habit of carrying or wearing a Hermes talisman every time I left my house, seen in the picture above.

In prayer, I asked for the piece to be endowed with the holiness of the God and His protection and favor on all of my travels when it is with me, and I made it a priority to always have it, and for two or three weeks, I always did, especially when I went to work.

But yesterday, October 9th, for some reason I did not take it with me, but left it on my podium in my office. As I pulled out onto the main road that runs by my house, the car stopped. I drifted it to the middle turning lane out of the heavy traffic, but nevertheless still within its dangerous grasp, as I realized the car was out of gas. Which made no sense because the gauge said I still had 35 miles, and the gas station was only three blocks down. There should have been no reason for my current situation.

But there I was. I knew the car was out of gas because it had happened before when I either didn't notice or didn't bother to gas it up when I should have, but never with 35 miles left. There should have been more than enough to get down to the station. I was luckily able to call a friend close by, who came with her gas can and got me down to the station.

As I was talking to my wife on the phone about it, I will never forget saying, "The one day I go out without my Hermes talisman." I have thought on what Hermes may have been trying to tell me in this. I think it's two things. One, humans should always remember that they need the Gods. I myself have never thought otherwise, but it was a general reminder. And two, the Gods are always with me, because clearly bad things can happen to me when their presence is absent. Hermes may have taken the opportunity to stop that car to show me this. 

Always take the Gods with you on all your journeys. 

In the Goodness of the Gods,

I'll see you at the next Herm down the road,

Chris Aldridge.