My new favorite thing to do these days is to listen to podcasts while walking. A few days ago I caught an episode about gratitude and how it’s an important attitude to have to grow spiritually. I took some time to contemplate what I am grateful for in my life.
All I could feel was immense gratitude for everything/everyone who has been a part of my life thus far. Some memories were very pleasant and some which were not so pleasant. But in retrospect, I’m grateful for each of those experiences. I do not want to bore you with the long list right now. I will mention one that I feel most thankful for. I am very grateful for all the knowledge that I have been able to gain over the years. I have developed the attitude of thankfulness even when things don’t go the way I desire. This attitude by itself has largely changed me as a person. I am still not yet able to practice gratitude in every moment. However, I hope to get there someday.
At times, it is difficult to be grateful when people or situations hurt us. When we understand that these are the experiences that teach us a lot about ourselves, we start to learn. We observe how we perceive and react to these situations. Through this observation, we grow exponentially. A lot of times, there is also an urge to be transactional with what we give. We react in the way that we perceive others have reacted. This behavior, in turn, prompts others to react to our reactions. And this goes on and on where we keep reacting to each other instead of being our true selves.
Being grateful can help us break this cycle. It makes us more conscious of how we react to situations or people. It’s a powerful thought when we believe that we have total control of how we want to be. Nothing seems impossible anymore. No one can take that away from us.
We experience more happiness when we give with a sense of gratitude. This is much more than when we give because we feel that the other person has been nice to us. It’s also more than when we get something back from that person. In the latter cases, there are expectations and desires involved. In the former case, we are just grateful for having the opportunity to give with no strings attached.
I am grateful for many things every day. I appreciate being alive and experiencing this life. I am thankful for the ability to go out and breathe fresh air whenever I want. I cherish having the freedom to be whatever I choose to be. I am grateful for the people in my life who support me in their way. I value my dog, who teaches me a lot of things. I also find pleasure in the plants that bring me joy just by being. I intend to keep practicing gratitude for these and everything else in my life for all the days to come.
Bluishmuse 