A wise counselor challenged me to start finding ten things every day I was thankful for. Ten seemed a lot at first, but practicing gratitude changed me. I began to see differently and remember bits of beauty, another editor’s insight, an unexpected kindness. Plus, others began to appreciate me in return.
In her book Active Hope: How to Face the Mess We Are in Without Going Crazy, Joanna Macy reports studies that show we are more likely to help people to whom we are grateful. Gratitude builds trust because it marks times we have been able to count on one another. Expressing gratitude plays forward; it creates a widening spiral of helping, trust, and cooperation.
Macy also thinks gratitude prevents consumer values. It delights in what one has rather than what one doesn’t have. It leads to satisfaction and joy in one another. Gratitude is an antidote to depression. A life of gratitude creates a reservoir to tap into when things don’t go well. One can remember and cherish all one does have.
Being alive calls us to appreciate the Creator. Evolution deepens the story of God’s creative love in which we live. We see with eyes that have evolved over millions of years in creatures that sought light. Our stem cells contain the memory of God’s love unfolding. A documentary takes us inside the womb to see the cells unfolding and amaze us with the miracle of life.
To be part of giving life gives parents a moment in the evolution of all that is. The birth of a child takes them to a place of awe and closeness to God. The child immediately breathes in the oxygen that plants and trees make every day out of sunlight. No longer is the umbilical cord the child’s lifeline. Our lungs tie us to the outside world we share with all that squirms, flies, blooms, and in each of us says thank you.
- What are 10 things you are grateful for today?