Sometimes we're here for reasons other than our own.Have you ever had to stop and think about gratitude and what there is to be grateful for? Did you ever set out to list all things, even one thing, for which you should be thankful, and drawn a complete blank?
Ask yourself: is it that I’ve got nothing to be grateful for, or is it because I’ve got too much?
The former is fundamentally absurd. The latter is, too.
Everyone had something to be thankful for, even if it is the simple fact of being alive. As long as you’re alive you’ve got the chance to change your life.
If you’ve got too much, then it’s all the more reason to say thanks because if you lose sight of that, then greed sets in.
We’ve all seen it. Misers who can’t bear to part with a penny. The rich who give nothing back to a world that’s given them more than they could ever use. These sad people have lost perspective.
Let’s forget about the rich and poor ends of the spectrum for now. Most of us are somewhere in the middle and can manage on what we have.
We are alive. We’re breathing, and very likely doing it all on our own. If not, then perhaps you’re using portable oxygen. Are your grateful such technology exists that allows you to keep on breathing?
Why not give that some thought. You can get about in some manner, I’ll assume you have friends and family and something to occupy your time each day whether it’s reading, talking, or your own thoughts. You can communicate and be entertained.
And even if you have no one, then you are still here and you have a chance to change the circumstances of your life. You’re being given every possible chance, by virtue of waking up in the morning, to do something.
Perhaps it’s not you, but someone in your personal circle who needs the chance to grow and change and that’s why you’re still here. That’s very thoughtful of you.
Someone close to you, be it an obvious closeness or not, can improve his or her life with your help. If that gets done now, then next time around the two of you will have one less thing to do.
And for that, why wouldn’t you be grateful?
15 comments:
Great post, dfLeah! Thanks for the food for thought.
I am grateful for the fact that I can get into the tractor and work with it... bouncing around the field, hour after hour. Again and again. Going round and round.
Really, I am.
such a great post.
and you do it for us by leading by example.
Thanks, dfBag Lady. Yes, being able to work the land is something to say thanks about.
Carla, thanks for your kind words.
Way to lead by example...great post!
Why M, thank you so much.
df Leah,
I am grateful for the internet and the good friends I have made because it exists.
One such friend asked me to post about a charitable event she is involved in and I will do so on Wednesday.
I am grateful that so many people find creative ways to help one another. I am always pleased when I can help.
Terrie
Thanks for the reminder of how much we do have...definitely need to realize that every day.
df Terrie - It is good to help.I'm so glad it speaks to you in that way.
Missicat - You're welcome. Some days when things aren't going so well it's good to sit back and take stock of what we have.
Nice post! It's important to take time every day to be grateful, because the things we take for granted won't always be there.
On a less maudlin note, I just came back from a Q&A where faculty asked questions of us in HR, regarding their benefits. One guy said he had a family member with a particular medication that costs $800/month and no amount of doctors' letters and justifications would get the insurance company to relent and allow him to have his co-pay instead of pay full price.
Boy, was I glad to know that: a) I have no one on my insurance but myself, and b) I only need asthma meds (long may this be the case!) and they're covered.
It was an unexpected Gratitdue Moment, for sure!
Thanks, Bunnygirl. I'm glad your asthma meds are covered.
I am grateful to be able to move under my own power, slow though it may be.
I am grateful that you post such beautiful photos for us all to admire.
True enough that there's always something for which to be grateful. We just need a nudge and a reminder now and then. Thanks for that.
Reb, I'm glad that you can get around under your own steam. I'm also very pleased you like my pics and never hesitate to say so.
Hilary, you're welcome. Sometimes we need to dig a bit to find something, but it'll always be there.
Love this. I am ALWAYS grateful for the ability to communicate. So many people around the world do not have the luxury of having a voice in the way we do. I've just finished reading a book about the suffering in Sudan and I have promised myself to be grateful every day for so many things, but the ability to speak out is the most important thing of all.
Thankyou for pointing out that we may be here to help OTHERS too. I'm normally too busy rubbishing myself to ever consider that somebody else might learn from me in some way. I think of it as modesty, but actually it's self-involvement in a way, and very near-sighted.
TA x
TA, thanks so much. That's good insight you have about the alleged modesty.
I think of a member of a pro sports team who blames himself for a loss. If he credited himself with the win we'd say he was full of himself. Taking blame for a loss is the same as taking credit for a win.
I think we can all learn from each other.
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