As Thanksgiving approaches, it’s obvious that there are many in the world with little to be thankful for, even in our ‘advanced’ western societies. I would like to invite you into a state of radical gratitude that will hopefully become your practice reaching far beyond this holiday. In these changing times the personal energy we each broadcast is the most powerful change agent of all.
Someone I know once took a vacation in Bali where she met an amazing woman. The woman lived in a grass hut with a dirt floor. She was thin, prominent bones witnessing to malnutrition. She also had a radiant smile. She supported herself by weaving cloth for the beautiful sari’s so common there. She herself only owned two sari’s; one thin and ragged and the other lovely silk that she wore for special ceremonies. The visitor asked why she smiled so much, and her response was to recite a litany of all the beauty she saw around her. That humid climate produced a year round riot of colorful flowers. The birds were amazing and the sky glorious. She had friends and family who loved her. She had work she enjoyed. The visitor admired the beautiful silk sari and the woman insisted on giving it to her. She would accept no payment other than a promise to carry smiles back to her own home. Her focus was one of gratitude and she lived in joy.
Radical gratitude is about the little things. My lovely stone tile floor collects balls of cat fur rather frequently. I can be annoyed at needing to sweep, again, or I can smile about the four affectionate Maine Coon cats that share my life and make me giggle. The wind blows a lot where I live. A Navajo urged gratitude for the wind blowing bad spirits away. I am getting older and sometimes that’s uncomfortable, but I have lived fully and joyfully in this body, and still do. I have had some very difficult relationships but each one taught a priceless lesson and I’ve finally grown up enough to be in a very good relationship. My flower beds are full of newly planted violas and pansies that will survive the winter and burst into incredible bloom in late March. Mice and tiny lizards nibble in the flower beds, putting on a daily wildlife show. Oh, and have you ever seen a hummingbird war? Two species visiting your yard at the same time makes for an amazing ruckus. I have the time to write. Finally!
Begin with a small notebook, or a document that sits on the desktop of your computer. Put it in your calendar if you use one. No bit of appreciation is too small or too silly. Write something down at least once a day. If you are not a writer and hate that sort of thing, you’re not off the hook. Instead you can find at least one person a day to listen as you speak aloud the blessing of your gratitude. Become the Pollyanna of your tribe, the one who always sees the good and speaks the good. That is not a position of weakness; it is a stance of power. Your words, your thoughts and your attitude are the greatest gift you have to give to the future of the human race. Your choice is to stand under a cloud of gloom and feed it with your thoughts, or radiate a spirit of joy that will lift those around you and lift you to a new level of experience. Get your light out from under that bushel and shine on!
Together we can change the world.
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