"Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life. It turns what we have into enough and more. It turns denial into acceptance, chaos into order, confusion into clarity. It turns problems into gifts, failures into success, the unexpected into perfect timing, and mistakes into important events. GRATITUDE makes sense of our past, brings peace for today and creates a vision for tomorrow" - Melodie B
It's in the air this month- you can smell it! Literally, when the kitchen is full of loved ones and deliciously nourishing food cooking in the oven. Mmmmmmmmm. It's that deeply satisfying sense of gratitude. Close your eyes and say on the Inhale I AM, and exhale the word Grateful. Continue this maybe trying the words thankful, and appreciative. Notice how it feels, what comes up in your mind and your heart. Are you smiling? I am.
I have SO many things in my life that I have been given or have received for free.... My gratitude pint glass is overflowing! and yet It occurred to me this week, that underlying all this gratitude is sometimes a sense of guilt. Why should I be the one to receive so many blessings? I know that sounds weird, and I've been told before " WHY can't you just be happy about it all and enjoy it!" And I've wondered the same thing.......seems easy enough. Yet the words happiness and gratitude hold different meanings. There are things that make us happy, but if you dive deeper into the reasoning behind WHY that thing or person makes you happy, you will find gratitude. For example, Sleeping makes me happy! I get to rest my eyes, lay down in a warm comfy bed, and wake up feeling refreshed. It's great! However, there's more to it- it's the quality or feeling that these happy things produce that make us understand what gratitude is: the quality of being deeply appreciative of the benefits we received. I am grateful that I have a comfy warm bed, occupied by a tremendously loving husband, that is healthy and able to work, in order to provide a warm and safe home to live in. And I'm grateful that I have a job and a mind that enables me to sit here at my computer and contemplate and share my thoughts about gratitude! I could keep going....but you get the point. Happiness is the state of being happy- and happy is being content, joyful, pleased, delighted. However; if this happiness is not backed by a deeper sense of gratitude, it won't last. Or said differently, gratitude creates happiness. I've been to 3rd world countries where people don't have a cozy roof over there head, or bed to sleep in, or shoes to protect their feet from injury, or doctors to ease their pain. Yet, the sincere feeling of love and gratitude shines through their eyes. I have this image of barefooted kids in Guyana wearing ripped clothes and no shoes playing soccer with a flat ball; and this other image of 2 American kids sitting in front of a large flat screen t.v playing video games and crying because they don't get another poptart for snack. I think this difference lie in the true meaning of Gratitude.
"Happiness can not be traveled to, owned, earned, worn or consumed. Happiness is the spiritual experience of living every minute with LOVE, GRACE, and GRATITUDE." - Denis Waitely
Try this experiment on your own by making a list of things that make me happy- vs. things that you are truly grateful for. Then Get a piece of paper, or journal and write the words "I am grateful for......." Allow yourself to list everything that comes to mind. From gross to subtle. Keep this list in plain sight, maybe tape it to your mirror or cell phone,and continue to add to it throughout the day, week, month.