This is my 32nd post on gratitude, and we have learned so much. To the extent to which you want to practice gratitude, I invite you to consider the various pathways from which you may select your “state of gratitude”. I borrow labels for your choices from current soft drinks, political strategists, podcasts, and traditional print literatures.

Gratitude may be expressed at any point along a continuum. In my post “What Money Can’t Buy”, I discussed intentional acts from sporadically grateful to always grateful. Thus, imagine a horizontal line from left to right with little markings (like on a ruler) to indicate your “extent of gratitude”.

Let me be specific:

If you are in a state of always being grateful, I label you as “Gratitude Ultra”

If you are in a state of sporadically being grateful, meaning feeling joy only once in a while, but not regularly, even only a seasonal feeling of joy like we discussed in the post, “Is Gratitude Serious or Frivolous? Both”, I label you as “Gratitude Zero”.

Finally, if you are often joyous, but not always or continually joyous, but you often seem/feel grateful, I label you as “Gratitude Lite”.

In future posts, we will explore, together, the various psychological theories that explain our basic “traits”, “personalities”, “thoughts”, and “emotions” that explain why some of us have various dimensions in our makeups like being happy or unhappy. A study of these traits helps us understand each other, and will lead us along our pathways to gratitude, and seeking a more joyous state of mind.

My personal objective is to become “Gratitude Ultra” because I sincerely appreciate all of you continuing to read these posts, and your support gives me such joy! YOU keep me full of joy because you are talking to me frequently about your own gratitude! YOUR responses to me cause me to work harder for you. Why? Because I am a teacher by trade. Personally, I love learning. I call the study of knowledge “intellectual pleasure“. Towards the goal of keeping your spirits up during this stressful time of the pandemic, I promise to dive deeper into gratitude with you. Some days will be more playful and fun; other days will be more academic and serious.

Just like a scuba diver, you may choose how “deep” you wish to go… Feel free to stay on the surface of the waters (gratitude zero) if you wish to find only a little bit of joy once in a while, (or if you are simply too busy right now with family and no work and other stressors of life). Or, dive a little deeper into the waters of emotions and thoughts towards happiness (gratitude lite), and experience the love of your children and funny stories with pets, and/or movies, and friendships, and your spiritual lives. But, if you dare, (see post, “Nature Gives Us Joy and Renews”) spend some time soaking with me in the deepest waters… Learn to be in a constant “state of gratitude”. Transform yourself into gratitude ultra.

Personally I feel attracted to the idea of a “gratitude soak”, deep bathing into the depths of experiences of all kinds. I am grateful to read, and take a dive into the deep, vast “gratitude spectrum”. Wow! Here I go….

This is #gratitudeultra.