Gratitude
/In this busy life filled with over indulgence and overabundance, it’s often hard to take time out to stop and think about all we have to be grateful for. We are deluded by the media to think that MORE is better. So, we strive to get the bigger house, the newer car, the name brand clothes, the high end electronics, more, more, more. But is it better? Do all of these things make us happy? If we always feel as if we don’t have enough then aren’t we always lacking in some way? Do we ever pause to think about what we already have and feel grateful for that? I don’t mean the material things that consume our lives. I’m talking about the simplest thing like being grateful for our working body as we go for a long walk or climb the stairs. It can be a moment of gratitude when your little one looks up with a tender smile and whispers ‘I love you’. It is these moments that are the ones that truly fill us up. And it is the actual act of being grateful that helps lead us to a more contented life. I know this because I’ve practiced gratitude for a long time. I once kept a journal where I wrote down even the smallest things that I was thankful for that day. It has become a tremendous help in keeping me grounded and in the moment. It has also helped me realize I’m so fortunate in so many ways.
I have a friend who struggled with the entitlement that came during her daughters’ teenage years. She started to wonder how they got this way and what would help them gain some perspective. She ended up taking each of them separately on a ‘gratitude trip’. When they were in high school they went and did charity work in a struggling third world nation for a week during spring break. This eye-opening journey helped them realize that they were much more fortunate than so many in this world. It also helped them get out of their own way and see that even people with nothing could find joy in the littlest things in life. I think this is a fabulous idea and a great way to give back too.
If you are wondering how to incorporate gratitude into your life, being thankful for the present moment is the simplest way to start. I’ve adopted the mantra ‘be here now’. When I find my mind wandering to my to-do list, I stop and remind myself to just be where I am in that moment and to savor it. Life changes in a heartbeat and we don’t know what tomorrow brings. All we have is the here and now. So let’s be grateful for it! Give it a try and see how it transforms your world.
Be Well,
LEW