Were we all to wake every morning like the man in the short YouTube video below, we would likely wind up as nutty as the fruitcakes some of us received for Christmas. (Poor demeaned fruitcakes. Some of them are actually quite tasty, and all are edible when soaked in milk or orange juice, or slathered in vanilla ice cream.)
The subject of the video is gratitude, giving thanks for our lives and for the help given us by others. Yet gratitude, which I have discussed twice here recently and will discuss in an offhand way in tomorrow's post on Will Durant's The Story of Civilization, has often gone missing from my daily regimen. To try and change my failure of appreciation, for several weeks now I have made a conscious effort, shortly after waking, to consider at least five people, places, circumstances, or things for which I am grateful. I'm not sure I can claim that this recitation makes my day smoother or more pleasant, but I can state with certitude that five items recollected in gratitude makes me happier in the moment and more appreciative of my life.
Acknowledging our gratitude within ourselves or sharing it with others can have a powerful effect. It can decrease or eliminate resentfulness. It can diminish feelings of victimization. When we remember to be grateful for some part of our life, however small, or to thank others for kindnesses received, we are taking a wrecking bar to the destructive negativity that can rule and ruin our emotions and thoughts.
Anyway, please give a minute and a bit to the video. I think you'll get a kick out of it.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BZKg6N10OBo
Acknowledging our gratitude within ourselves or sharing it with others can have a powerful effect. It can decrease or eliminate resentfulness. It can diminish feelings of victimization. When we remember to be grateful for some part of our life, however small, or to thank others for kindnesses received, we are taking a wrecking bar to the destructive negativity that can rule and ruin our emotions and thoughts.
Anyway, please give a minute and a bit to the video. I think you'll get a kick out of it.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BZKg6N10OBo