There are some days when I have numerous, intense moments of Gratitude. It’s a feeling like being immersed in a deep vat of liquid, shimmering, golden Light. It feels bigger than my Being. It feels more expanded, like Earth being aware of the Space it inhabits. It extends to the far reaches of that Inner Space.
Like “praying without ceasing,” growing a Consciousness of Gratitude is a moment-by-moment experience that doesn’t happen all at once. So much of our day is consumed with gotta-get-this-done-right-now attention that it zaps our energy. We can feel like a funnel that all our attention and energy is pouring through, trying to fill a bottomless pit of stuff-to-do.
Today’s unexpected Moments reminded me of French fries, how they really can hit the spot when you’re hungry for them and they are hot, salty, and fresh. Life hungers for Gratitude like lungs hunger for air, or a dry garden for thirst-quenching rain seeping into its roots. Gratitude could be called the Life Force of our Good. The more we have of Gratitude, the better our life becomes – the better our Life Outlook becomes.
If you have an active Gratitude practice, wherein you are seeking to experience more Gratitude in each day, I invite you to think of Gratitude like a French fry (or a grape from a bunch or a glistening berry in a full bowl or whatever image inspires you). The next time you have one, before you eat it, give it a Gratitude Identity – that is, name a Gratitude for each fry before you eat it and then savor the Golden Goodness as it fills you. You can do this with anything you eat, or even any task at hand – every garment you fold when doing laundry, every dish you wash after dinner, ever step you take in the park.
When you add an Attitude of Gratitude to each day, your life becomes fuller and more abundant in ways you don’t normally think about. Gratitude is not all about money. It’s about Peace of Mind, Grace of Heart, more Unconditional Love and less judgment; more Forgiveness and less resentment.
In case you think you don’t have anything to be Grateful about (yes, I’ve heard people say that), consider all the things you take for granted: shelter, transportation, employment, education, friends, family, church, hobbies, bills – yes, bills!; food, coffee, tea, running water, art, science, Freedom to think what you want to think, be what you want to Be. Some things are big, some are small, but they all count when being Grateful and the feeling will probably intensify every time you give it your Attention.
Even if your life is different than you think it should be, there are still many things for which to be grateful, so I hope, today, you make the Choice for Gratitude.
Namaste’
barbaraquin 