Greetings Readers!
Today’s meditation is Part IX of our Perennial Habits course. Last week we discussed: The Psychology of Behavior Change and How to See the World — Like a Sage. As a reminder, our next virtual meetup is on The Art (and Practice) of Stoic Wisdom. It’s scheduled for Wednesday, May 10th (at 6:00 pm EST); you can register here (Watch the recording from our last meetup below).
The Wisdom of Being Grateful
The wisdom (or practice) of being grateful appears across wisdom traditions. Although philosophical or spiritual traditions often speak of gratitude in slightly different ways than we do in modern culture.
“You think this is just another day in your life. It’s not just another day; it’s the one day. It’s the one day that is given to you today. It’s a gift. It’s the only gift you have right now — and the only appropriate response is gratefulness.”
— Brother David Steindl-Rast.
My interview with Kristi Nelson (author of Wakeup Grateful) uncovered the difference between gratitude and being grateful. Nelson explained gratefulness is gratitude for life. It reminds us that we are continually receiving in simply being alive. While gratitude — as we know it — needs something good to happen, gratefulness only requires us to be awake. We do not need to do anything to feel grateful or wait for anything more, writes Nelson.
How might your life change if you started to take nothing for granted?
