"We often take for granted the very things
that most deserve our gratitude."
-- Cynthia Ozick
Up until the last few years, I wasn't grateful on a regular basis. There might be whole days or even strings of many days without the thought of gratitude for something. Sad, but true. But, I have turned that around completely now.
Each day now, I find myself grateful for more and more things in greater quantity. I now practice it all my waking hours to the point that now hardly an hour goes by without my having gratitude for something or someone. It is closer and closer to pure joy and awe.
I'll give you some examples. Trash collection. The more I think about this service, the more gratitude I have for it. I take the trash out and put it in a receptacle and once a week the truck comes and takes it away. Can you imagine a month without trash collection? We would be buried.
Here's another: running water. In terms of history, it was a nanosecond ago that we had to go down to the creek with buckets and carry it back to the house. If you wanted hot water, you had to heat it on the stove. Just think what it took in labor to have a hot bath. Now, I just get in the shower and turn it on (probably the other way around. . .) and there it is. It is effortless. Anytime I want a drink, I lift the handle and there it is clean cool water.
These two things are commonly taken for granted, yet other than a roof over my head and clothes on my body, they are at the top of the list of things that affect my life. There is a long list of these kinds of things that we can focus on and be truly grateful for every day. Like the computer, I'm typing on and the Internet I'm connected to. It is all so awesome to contemplate.
How about the weather? I look forward every day to experiencing the weather. Frankly, I could care less now what the weather will be like, but that I enjoy every moment of it. Yesterday we had 30-50 mph winds all day. It was glorious. Cloudy, overcast, sunny, cold, warm, rainy, dry, they are all so perfect and all so very interesting. I used to complain about the weather. I NEVER complain about the weather now. Each day is like a snowflake--all different in some way and each unique.
These are just a few examples of how I find gratitude in every single hour of every day. It is a whole new world for me in my later life. You might say, I have been reborn. I can now find joy anytime I decide to open myself up to experience it. There are no limits to how much gratitude I can have. The more I find, the more I find.
This change has been gradual and has really moved quickly in the last few years. There is a book I read that really had a large influence on getting me started on this path. It is Power In Praise by Merlin R Carothers. Books that I read later kicked it into high gear. Some of these books are, The Gratitude Effect by Dr. John Demartini, The Astonishing Power of Emotions by Esther and Jerry Hicks, The Power of Intention by Dr. Wayne W Dyer, and many others. Their influence of directing me toward gratitude for everything has been life-changing.
You will find, as I have, that becoming a gratitude finder will be the best thing that will ever happen in your life. Ever.
I Am Thankful Every Waking Hour!
Spread Some Joy Today--Feel the joy that comes from being thankful every hour. It's okay to smile outwardly. Inside your ecstatic! Way cool.
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