Often when we practice being thankful, we go through the process of counting
our blessings, acknowledging the wonderful people, things and places that make
up our reality. While it is fine to be grateful for the good fortune we have
accumulated, true thankfulness stems from a powerful comprehension of the gift
of simply being alive, and when we feel it, we feel it regardless of our
circumstances. In this deep state of gratitude, we recognize the purity of the
experience of being, in and of itself, and our thankfulness is part and parcel
of our awareness that we are one with this great mystery that is life.
It is difficult for most of us to access this level of consciousness as we are
very caught up in the ups and downs of our individual experiences in the world.
The thing to remember about the world, though, is that it ebbs and flows,
expands and contracts, gives and takes, and is by its very nature somewhat
unreliable. If we only feel gratitude when it serves our desires, this is not
true thankfulness. No one is exempt from the twists and turns of fate, which
may, at any time, take the possessions, situations, and people we love away
from us. Ironically, it is sometimes this kind of loss that awakens us to a
thankfulness that goes deeper than just being grateful when things go our way.
Illness and near-miss accidents can also serve as wake-up calls to the deeper
realization that we are truly lucky to be alive.
We do not have to wait to be shaken to experience this state of being truly
thankful for our lives. Tuning in to our breath and making an effort to be
fully present for a set period of time each day can do wonders for our ability
to connect with true gratitude. We can also awaken ourselves with the intention
to be more aware of the unconditional generosity of the life force that flows
through us regardless of our circumstances.
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