I find that I am
increasingly grateful. I look more at what is present in my life than what is
not. Yesterday as I was walking the dog on the hill affording a broad view of
the landscape, I was struck with the saying “that for which I am grateful.”
There are many aspects, conditions, facts about my life that I could label as
“that for which I am grateful.” However, gratitude is more than just looking at
what I have; it is about cultivating gratefulness for just being. It is not conditional.
It would have
been easy to post on this blog today an entry listing one hundred things for
which I am grateful, including, just being.
I almost did, because I wanted to feature the gorgeous fox who was sitting near
our side door in the dark of the night earlier this week. But I realized that
we each need to generate our own list. Even before making that gratitude list,
we make a decision to write, or speak aloud, our gratitude.
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| ...view from the back door last week... |
It
begins with an appreciation, or a fear of getting sucked into the vortex of
whatever is the opposite of appreciation (judgment? depression? anger? critique?
self-pity?).
It
moves into the choice to generate a list of gratitudes.
It
deepens when we explore one of those points of gratitude in detail.
It
is fully fleshed out as we take action in regard to our gratitude.
Why should
anybody care about being grateful, about cultivating and then harvesting the
bounty of our gratitude? Why? Why? I
had this moment earlier today when I asked this question and the answer was
immediate and unambiguous: because it
makes the world a better place in this moment. There it was again – immediacy
and wholeness: I am made fuller as I am present and my presence leads to
gratitude and my action on behalf of gratitude is to serve in the deepest way I
am able, that to which I am called, and this – always – makes this earth and its
inhabitants a more sane place to live. (I don’t feel the absolute, always, is too strong a word here.)
I
read all over the place about the insanity in which so many are living. The
most recent was an article that discussed holiday
shopping encroaching on holidays.
I was confused, and, mostly, distressed. What if each person on the planet
offered one gift to each family member and each friend…spreading it out over
the year, not thrust onto one short temporal window: demonstrating their deep
appreciation for the other by doing something kind for the person, something specific
to the recipient. Consumerism and the dollar might fall, but – by God – this
would be a calmer, sweeter place to reside. (It is not my modus operandi to venture into political or economic statements in
these blogs, but how can a spiritual principle – which I believe a practice of
gratitude is – not seep into the very ways in which we conduct our lives on a
basic, human level?)
* * *
A
few moments ago I was in bipedal transit from meeting a friend for a midday
break, back to my home office. I stopped at a yard with rose bushes. The first
flower I bent over to sniff had no discernible scent. The next one I stooped
near – not nearly as vibrantly and enticingly colored – had the most sensuous
aroma; I immediately broke into a grin. My hand raised in a small wave to a
short, bent old woman escorting her animatedly-chatting grandchild from the
school to house. Shortly before that, my right arm had risen up (seemingly of
its own accord) – following my gaze – and my fingertips brushed the undersides
of the same golden leaves from my blog two weeks ago. These same hands felt wet
leaves in my palms as I scooped them from the yard into the compost bin early
this morning, intentionally avoiding the work gloves so I could connect with
earth’s richness. When I arrived home I paid attention again to the way in
which the ash tree’s leaves have so completely covered the front grass that
from space it would be a golden pelt of earth, rather than the green that is
the skin on the dirt in the yard. For these small and great gifts, I am
grateful. For just being, for noticing them, I am grateful.
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| ...view from the living room window this morning... |
All blog images created and/or photographed by Jennifer J. Wilhoit unless otherwise noted.
