“Cultivate the habit of being grateful for every good thing that
comes to you, and to give thanks continuously. And because all things have
contributed to your advancement, you should include all things in your
gratitude.” – Ralph Waldo Emerson
“Gratitude bestows reverence, allowing us to encounter everyday
epiphanies, those transcendent moments of awe that change forever how we
experience the world.” – John Milton
The modern world is crammed with competition and rivalry.
Siblings, coworkers, strangers at the mall searching for a parking space or
that perfect gift. We are comparing ourselves and our abilities with others
from the moment that we first perceive them. While we are focused on keeping up
with the Joneses, we are concentrating on all the things that are not within
our grasps. Particularly in this hectic shopping season during the Thanksgiving
holidays. We've turned a time of giving thanks for what we do have into a
desperate harried quest for what we don’t have.
“Do not spoil what you have by desiring what you have not;
remember that what you now have was once among the things you only hoped for.”
- Epicurus
Gratitude shifts one’s focus from what life lacks to the abundance
that is already present. With the abundance of accessibility and in the age of
instant gratification, we struggle to connect it all with our hearts. The
answer isn’t more stuff or faster access, it’s more gratitude. At the root of
happiness, fulfillment, joy and love is gratitude. Gratitude is the door to the
beauty that life offers. An attitude of gratitude is the best first step to
living a “charmed” life. One must remember that developing charm and poise is
not about filling in the places where one is lacking, it’s about beautifully
displaying the extraordinary remarkable you that you already are.
So, today, I challenge you to strive to cultivate an attitude of
gratitude, not just one day a year, but year-round. Take your perfunctory
“thanks” to the stranger that holds the door open for you to get in out of the
cold into a heartfelt “thank you.” Gratitude is developed through daily
practice. Slow down in your thoughts and heighten your awareness, which is
imperative to increase our gratitude.
Breathe, just breathe. Pause for a moment and take a deep calm
breath and let it out. Feel the air go into your lungs, feel the movement of
your diaphragm, let it out slowly and feel it move through you. Allow your mind
to move with it. Force yourself to slow down and feel your life. Be grateful
for that life.
“Piglet noticed that even though he had a Very Small Heart, it
could hold a rather large amount of Gratitude.” –A.A. Milne
We are people who have been given much, who have worked for a
great deal of it. Despite our trials and stresses, let’s share our gratitude.
Remember that all the good things in our lives have specific sources. People
have the free will to be rude or be kind, to love or to hate, to be genuine or
to manipulate, to treat us as fellow human beings or to ignore us, to be honest
or to lie, to be grateful to us if we have done them good or to hold our gifts
in contempt. Others have the same free will that we do. Many people do things
large and small to help us. Make sure that those that inspire gratitude in you
know it. Bring gratitude from your heart to your lips and hands. Remember,
thank you notes aren't only for graduations, weddings and baby showers.
Give thanks. Let us share our gratitude with each other here, now,
and always.
“We can only be said to be alive in those moments when our hearts
are conscious of our treasures.” – Thornton Wilder
