|
Awareness of
gratitude will allow you to savor and, above all, appreciate your life with
renewed grace. Sometimes we forget to take the time to
recognize the richness that defines our lives. This may be because many of
the messages we encounter as we go about our affairs prompt us to think about
what we don’t have rather than all the abundance we do enjoy. Consequently,
our gratitude exists in perpetual conflict with our desire for more, whether
we crave time, convenience, wealth, or enlightenment. Yet understanding and
truly appreciating our blessings can be as simple as walking a mile in
another’s shoes for a short period of time. Because many of us lead
comparatively insular lives, we may not comprehend the full scope of our
prosperity that is relative to our sisters and brothers in humanity. If you find taking an inventory of your
life’s blessings difficult, consider the ease with which you nourish your
body and mind, feed your family, move from place to place, and attend to
tasks at hand. For a great number of people, activities you may take for
granted, such as attaining an education, buying healthy food, commuting to
work, or keeping a clean house, represent great challenges. To experience
firsthand the complex tests others face as a matter of course in their daily
lives, try living without the amenities you most often take for granted. This
can be a great experiment to undertake with your entire family or a
classroom. Understanding working poverty can be as easy as endeavoring to buy
nutritious foods with a budget of $100 for the week. If you own a car,
relying on public transportation for even just a day can help you see the
true value of the comfort and conveniences others do without. As you explore
a life without things you may normally take for granted, ask yourself for how
long you could endure. The compassionate gratitude that floods
your heart when you come to fully realize your abundance may awaken pangs of
guilt in your heart. Be aware, however, that the purpose of such an
experiment is to open your heart further in gratitude and compassion. This
awareness can help you attain a deeper level of gratitude that will allow you
to savor and, above all, appreciate your life with renewed grace. |
No comments:
Post a Comment