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Often when we practice being thankful, we go through the process
of counting our blessings, acknowledging the wonderful people, things and
places that make up our reality. While it is fine to be grateful for the good
fortune we have accumulated, true thankfulness stems from a powerful
comprehension of the gift of simply being alive, and when we feel it, we feel
it regardless of our circumstances. In this deep state of gratitude, we
recognize the purity of the experience of being, in and of itself, and our
thankfulness is part and parcel of our awareness that we are one with this
great mystery that is life.
It is difficult for most of us to access this level of consciousness as we
are very caught up in the ups and downs of our individual experiences in the
world. The thing to remember about the world, though, is that it ebbs and
flows, expands and contracts, gives and takes, and is by its very nature
somewhat unreliable. If we only feel gratitude when it serves our desires,
this is not true thankfulness. No one is exempt from the twists and turns of
fate, which may, at any time, take the possessions, situations, and people we
love away from us. Ironically, it is sometimes this kind of loss that awakens
us to a thankfulness that goes deeper than just being grateful when things go
our way. Illness and near-miss accidents can also serve as wake-up calls to
the deeper realization that we are truly lucky to be alive.
We do not have to wait to be shaken to experience this state of being truly
thankful for our lives. Tuning in to our breath and making an effort to be
fully present for a set period of time each day can do wonders for our
ability to connect with true gratitude. We can also awaken ourselves with the
intention to be more aware of the unconditional generosity of the life force
that flows through us regardless of our circumstances.
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