The Attitude With Gratitude
"Piglet noticed that even though he had a very small heart, it could still hold a lot of gratitude." ~ A.A. Milne--Winnie The Pooh
The very popular theme these days is to be: grateful. They say that the only prayer that needs to be said (or whispered) is: Thank-You. (what a lovely thought.)
Yet, giving thanks and re-patterning our negative thoughts to positive ones can sound easy in theory, yet very difficult to practice. Giving thanks has been a common religious and cultural theme throughout the centuries.
(How many of us on this great big planet of Horror and Wonder are conscious enough to not take for granted the gift of waking up (each day)? Of--breathing--of thinking--of being and feeling (loved)?
Sometimes we do not realize how fortunate we are until what we value has been taken away from us and still there are some of us who never know what they had even when what they had has been lost...
(We complain about most things on most days.)
Being single for over a decade and a half now, I have utilized my singleness observing couples who are supposed to be together because of their love (for-each-other) yet I see so many comfortably displaying grievances about the other rather than enjoy the love that is supposed to be (between) them.
(I-find-that-curious.)
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When we feel loved, there is no need to complain. Sometimes the complaining is a good thing (if it leads to positive change). Sometimes we are just not focused on loving but give our attention to our negative distractions. We complain about our spouses or significant others, until they are no longer "ours" to complain about.
(and then we complain--still.)
It is easy to focus on the negative when it is surrounding us at every turn. Technology, media and our world feeds on negative news about everything that is not happy, positive or uplifting. So many comparisons, the list is endless: Not talented enough, not rich enough, not smart enough, not enough for others or ourselves. The Lacks in Life and doubt in our own self-worth is a constant battle for many. Being good enough and having enough just never seems to be--enough.
"Do not spoil what you have by desiring what you do not; remember that what you now have was once among the things you only hoped for." ~ Epicurus
When you hoped for a Someone To Love and then you are in the company of someone you love, remember the above Epicurus quote and you will remain in a state of gratitude for--your-love.
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Could lack of gratitude have something to do with the fact that our brains default position is to worry and worry could be another form of focusing on what we do not have and the fear of what we have and don't want. We focus on fear of the unknown and the constant struggle to settle the chattering mind in all of us. If we focus on "Thank You" suddenly the chattering settles into a grateful stillness. We remember, naturally, "Thank You" feels better than "Not Enough".
Science says that expressing gratitude will help diminish the feeling of negative thoughts. We must occupy our thoughts with counter thoughts of gratitude and happiness, so our brains don't end up in "psychic entropy." It takes 5-10 positive events to counter balance one negative one!
With the overriding thoughts that are in the background of our minds, the ones filled with gratitude must be louder and clearer than the subtle judgments of others and ourselves; inner complaints and criticisms about every topic imaginable.
Whether we have actual events to counter the negative ones, doesn't really matter as our brains do not know the difference from what it sees to what is actually true. (tricky huh?) We can and must train our brain's reticular activating system to what we wish to experience and we can do this simply by making a few goals and reading them a few times a day; looking at photographs or images of what is positive and what we envision for our lives is a great way to create and manifest.
(Focusing on our goals will give us a sense of positivity and that positivity will in turn remind us of all we have to be grateful for)
"Stay close to anything that makes you glad you are alive" ~ Hafez
Gratitude is touted today as the key to much, primarily the Law of Attraction. But what is the Law of Attraction, really? It is not a new idea. It does not belong to 'The New Age' for the New Age is nothing more than an awareness of what has always been. It might be new to the western way of thinking, thus calling, The Law of Attraction another form of, The Law of Gratitude. Simply put: The Laws of Nature and the laws of nature have been supplying us with its gifts since the beginning of--time.
Whatever happened along the passing of the seasons and centuries that we stopped noticing The Gifts of Nature, of ourselves or each other? We have more to be thankful for than ever. If we do not take notice of all that we have, soon, surely, The All Powerful One, behind that Curtain that sustains all of life--just might take everything away from us.
We are the gift that nature constantly and unconditionally provides for us. We are Gratitude. We just need to remember to notice all that we are (and are not.)
So when that Clock is about to strike 12 and that noon train is approaching around the bend; the tracks are laden with golden bricks pointing in a Direction and your life is asking you: Decide, decide, decide--which path will you take? The one pointing in the direction of Thank You? or Not Enough?
(only Time will tell...)
(This post is dedicated to the one and only, Goddess of Light, Violette, whose emergence from the past brought gratitude and appreciation to her sister "B" once trapped in Darkness...)