The Rebirth of Gratitude
Who would have ever thought to treat gratitude as a practice? Have you ever considered using gratitude as a perspective that allows you to look at things a little differently than you have before? Gratitude can be used as a lens to which we see things amidst all the struggles and turmoil of our lives. As we learn to cultivate it, we can challenge many of the other views we have carried within us for so long and twist it to something positive. We can refocus anxiety and reestablish presence; we can change our unhealthy longing for things that don’t serve us constructively into contentment; or we can shift our mindsets from “never enough” to an outlook that sees endless possibilities or opportunities.
Those who have claimed to have found inner peace, I bet, didn’t achieve it by forcing a “calm” existence. I also would bet that they didn’t get there by avoiding discomfort. I would put my money on the assumption that this type of peace arrives as soon as we begin to notice the small and insignificant moments in life. Do you like coffee? Think of that first cup in the morning. What about being at home away from work and finally getting to just rest and be lazy? For me, I used to love just going to the boardwalk and watching the ocean waves break and the happy tourists strolling along. Sure, it would be nice to live extravagantly and spend money with no limits. But sometimes, when we learn not to ask for more than what is needed, life will bless you with the rich gifts of small things.
Practicing an attitude of gratitude does not equate to ignoring the pains of life or even the little things that bother you. What it does, however, is allow you to balance the embrace of pain while learning to appreciate the lessons and the challenges we face. Pay attention to the things that go on in your life with attentiveness. Allow small gestures to rewire what motivates you the most. This effort guides us in a way that leads to appreciation of life-giving pursuits rather than life-draining.
As you move forward with a new reverent belief system, the scope of your beneficence spreads to others and to all of those who surround you. Let kind words and actions of your rebirth naturally extend to others with the hope that harmony and connection are cultivated to the collective. Gateways to inner peace aren’t somewhere far away in a distant land nor are they hoarded by those who are enlightened. It is present and available in your daily awareness waiting to be unlocked creating a calmer and more centered you.
We already spend too much time in our lives chasing the white rabbit trying to see more, to experience more, and to obtain more. Allow peace to grow so that your gratitude becomes second-nature to you. As your heart learns to live in the present moment rather than chasing the next, you may find that this kind of rebirth will continually renew your spirit while separating your attentions from delusion and deception and of the desire to constantly seek more.
