Please focus on the single beam of light projected onto the beach this morning just as day breaks (see the photo above). Out of the vast array of topics on which we might focus today, let’s focus on finding/seeking “joy” in our life which may sometimes feel like the little beam above. Personally, I tend to like to focus on joy more than happiness because joy is a deeper emotion.
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Everyday is a new day. Some days are special because they are your birthday, or a holiday, or a memory such as a death anniversary, or graduation date, or wedding, or loss of a job… Some days will never be remembered, or noted during your life. But, today, I want to challenge you to make this day special – your day! This particular day may become a memory because it snowed in the midwest and is very cold today. If you are dealing with the cold winter blast, it may not feel like a day of gratitude, or if it is raining, it may be dangerous for driving on slick freeways. On such days, how may you find your gratitude, or feel positive? Maybe you might sit inside by a fire, or have a warm cup of hot chocolate and look out the window at the winter white new blanket that covers your neighborhood. Here in Southern California it is raining so I took a photograph of the raindrops on my car window and observed that not one drop touched the other drop and that each drop of water was a different size and contributed to the overall pattern of water drops I observed as I sat in my car with my cup of coffee listening to the rain fall. I had just left my favorite grocery store and purchased a fresh muffin which I enjoyed with my coffee.
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It seems important that we ask “What is gratitude”? Where does gratitude come from? Can anybody find gratitude? Is gratitude derived from giving or receiving, or both? These questions and the answers may offer us significant directions along our journeys and pathfinding to gratitude.
If we consider the event of dying as a stimulus, for example, has does knowing one is dying trigger the feeling of gratitude? Or, if we feel deeply moved during a beautiful sunset, or when proudly watching our young child perform a speaking part in a school play, or watching a dog scratch his back on the grass, from where does this emotion we call gratitude come? Gratitude is an emotion of thankfulness. It feels good. It is a form of pleasure, and positivity in life. It may be related to a positive mood, or memorable action, or creative idea. Gratitude has also been described as a spiritual discipline, or a grateful heart.
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This is your special day! Consider what makes you happy? Do you love to travel to beautiful places like National Parks, museums, flower markets, waterfalls, lakes, gardens, churches, concerts, family gatherings? Do you enjoy being with people or alone? What do you wish for, if you had the time and/or money? What do you enjoy when you have the time? Some people love parties or movies or games. Some people love to hike or exercise or listen to music, or all of the above. Some of you would appreciate an extra hour of sleep because you work long hours to care for your family. Whatever you are forced to do during each and every day, where might you find your joy each day? Is it tucking your children into bed, or peeking at them while they sleep? Does your pleasure come from your dog or cat greeting you when you come home? Or/and, do you find deeply moving moments as you read your Bible or experience your spiritual discoveries as you reflect upon God? Or, do you love nature, gardening, farming, and harvesting some of your own food from your own garden? My point is that we all experience a feeling of gratitude which feels more or less the same, but the source of that feeling may come from vastly different causes or stimulations or events within each of our lives, because we are all different people. What I am inviting you to seek is “gratitude”, your “gratitude”, during each and every day. This blog is a guide to finding and uncovering, or seeking little moments for which you will be so grateful. The term “g squared” means that together we will multiply your gratitude, and generate a foundation on which you may build to get you through your tough times.
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Each and every day, I feel full of gratitude because I should be dead, but obviously I’m not. In 2017, I learned I had serious illnesses and thought I had about 7-9 months of life left to live. So, I dutifully prepared all my affairs and accepted my fate, and felt I had lived a good life, wonderful career, great family and waited…. It is a funny feeling to watch other people around you die, but not die yourself. I wondered why and hence have tried to be as helpful to my family and friends and strangers as possible as I “pay it forward” with gratitude for life each and every day. Personally, I was always a planner and looked to the future. Now, I live in the present, and value each and every day, and I do not take each part of each day for granted. My illness was a gift to me. No matter what happens nearly every day, I try to seek out peace, harmony, calm, and thankfulness that I see the sun each day, and the moon at night, and feel the raindrops when it rains, or the winds and storms when they come because I am alive. Being alive beats or overcomes any negative event that may come my way. Each glance from my little Cock-a-poo doggie, every smile from my family or strangers, every story I hear, or conversation in which I engage at Starbucks, or with neighbors, or at the grocery store, fills me with pure joy because I was fortunate to experience that communication event with other people at least one more time… All of you people in my life for which I am grateful. I tell you my background story so you understand where joy comes from, but this blog is not about me, it is about all of you: People stressed by life events everyday. This blog is for you to find a brief moment to meditate, or take a breath, or pause to experience a special moment in time – to capture that memory and burn it into your life because it gave you such happiness, such joy, such pleasure. That moment let you escape briefly from your day. This is your journey in life, your journey to gratitude. Please come and discover your personal gratitude, your healing, your “wow”.
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Welcome to Guide to Gratitude. These are clearly amazing times with the Covid-19 virus, people unemployed, food insecurity, political disagreements, and fear of Covid, conflict over wearing masks, children out of school and on and on. During my lifetime, I have experienced many variations of life from serious health issues, loss of employment, early death of family members, and more of what so many worry about these days. Sometimes we feel helpless to know what to do or say. In response to events of these times, I want to blog with all of you about Gratitude, i.e., finding gratitude in daily life. I hope you will take this journey with me as we search together for life’s little miracles all around us. Gratitude for good health, gratitude for a job, gratitude for a rainbow, gratitude for love, gratitude for a beautiful national park, gratitude for God and spirituality in life, gratitude for the smile of a young child, or the playfulness of your pet… This blog includes travel to discover and uncover the riches in which gratitude is found and becomes meaningful to you. I hope you will come along and share your own experiences during which you felt grateful. Let’s begin…
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Gratitude Squared 