This holiday season, rather than being thankful for specific things that are going right for me now (and a lot of things are so right), I think about being in a state of appreciation. Being thankful for particular things that I have received makes me wonder if I would be able to be thankful if I didn’t receive those things. I don’t want to use gratitude as an insurance policy to guarantee that more will be bestowed upon me, or as an unconscious contract to continue to get what I asked for.
I see thankfulness in a broader sense. In addition to appreciating my blessings, I am thankful for what is in the process of being created but has not yet manifested, for the ways of the universe, for mystery and magic, for moving energy, for the ability to start over everyday, for growth and the potential to create, for the quickening pace of our evolution, for a connection to every living being. In this sense, thankfulness is not something that we practice, it is who we are. This opens us up to a state of grace, filled with love and appreciation, humility and compassion.
For all that you are and all that I am, a very Happy Thanksgiving to you!
Thank you for sharing your thoughts. Happy “Thanks”giving!
And to you, too, Janis!