#172
This entire issue is from readers. The first 5 items are a list of things one reader noticed about gratitude while doing his daily list of 10 gratitudes.
1. It is possible to invoke a feeling of gratitude by an act of will. That surprised me; I thought one was either grateful, or one was not grateful. Apparently there is a latent gratitude there… all the time?
2. As I expected, there are many things that I take for granted and rarely think about. When I think about them, I remember how grateful I am for them. E.g. my fingers. my sense of smell; my legs. Ten trillion things!
3. Every difficulty seems to have a mirror — or mirrors — of blessing, and the choice to focus on one or the other is up to me. E.g. Do I curse my poor vision? Or give thanks for having vision in the first place? Or give thanks for my vision being fully correctible? Or, give thanks for all the things I’ve seen up to now, regardless of what I may see at the moment? etc etc.
4. When making the lists, I often felt grateful for my ability to feel gratitude.
5. One surprising thing that came into clear focus, and remains there: I am grateful for my ability to take things for granted. Just “doing” or “being” without consciousness is a tremendous gift! Then, when I can also bring these taken-for-granted things to my consciousness, that’s also a gift! Then I can be grateful for being so “OK” that I don’t have to think about it most of the time.
Another reader spoke to #5 in a way. Gratitude, she said, conscious gratitude, serves to slow down a life that is too busy. Gratitude gives her the space to have her experiences, as opposed to allowing her busyness to gloss over much of what she experiences. Yet another reader said much the same thing.
What did you notice?