Some people don’t like Thanksgiving. That’s their choice in a democratic society. I like it because it emphasizes gratitude, which is essential to a healthy life and too often neglected.
Gratitude isn’t a polite habit, but a fundamental shift in perception of reality. We are surrounded by innumerable reasons to be thankful every moment. Look around at the beauty in nature and our fellow humans, at intimate relationships, at healthy minds and bodies, or simply at being alive. That’s the reality we forget to see. Between us and reality is a dominating ego incapable of gratitude, with never-ending demands, grudges, and perceived slights. By consciously choosing gratitude, the ego is pushed aside to perceive the breadth and depth of life’s blessings.
“Gratitude is a sacred space where you allow and know that a force greater than your ego is always at work and always available.”
-Dr. Wayne Dyer
Heartfelt gratitude occupies neurological and emotional space that ego-driven anger, fear, or resentment would otherwise fill. Gratitude research reveals millennia of philosophical, religious, and scientific emphasis on its importance to a meaningful and purposeful life. A life without gratitude denies the essential human quality of honoring life itself. Denial condemns us to perpetual anger, unhappiness, dissatisfaction, self-pity, and resentment. Gratitude doesn’t deny life’s challenges. It deepens our understanding that challenge and resilience lead to growth in every living thing. We, humans, are not exempt. Observe the process in nature if you doubt.
“Upon awakening, let the words Thank You flow from your lips, for this will remind you to begin your day with gratitude and compassion.”
-Dr. Wayne Dyer
A gratitude habit of a few moments upon awakening and before sleeping leads to a growing, gentle invulnerability. It’s subtle at first, but cumulative. Challenges continue, but we are no longer knocked down or off-center by them, and they don’t cling to us like barnacles. Gratitude scrubs us clean by celebrating the gift of life. Gratitude is an easy, practical foundation for living wisely and well. And in our beautiful country, we devote a whole day to it.
