Walking With Gratitude

Cultivating Gratitude For Connection

Gratitude allows us to connect with others on a level that is very granular down to the very essence of what it means to be a loving being. Loving towards yourself. Loving towards others.

In many societies showing self-love and kindness towards others is regarded as a sign of softness and is something to be shied away from. But when we embrace gratitude, let go of hardness, we are able to see the beauty the world truly has to offer.

But how can we walk with gratitude? How can we cultivate and foster gratitude within?

First, let's ask what is gratitude?

Gratitude is having a sense of happiness or appreciation with what we have in the present moment and for the gifts we receive. Gratitude does not lie in the future because we cannot be grateful for what we do not have. 

If someone has a lot they may find it hard to be grateful. But the same may hold true for someone who has very little. And yes, this may even hold true of someone who is in between, neither extremely wealthy or in dire poverty.

Gratitude does not depend on one's home, car, career, income, geographic location, political affiliation, sexual identity, or marital status. Gratitude originates with a sense that everything is a gift and that all we have is impermeant. It could disappear at any time without notice.

So what are some ways or actions we can employ to foster gratitude and graciousness?

We all begin our days with waking up and this is a wonderful time to include gratitude into our morning routine. Before getting out of bed you can start with a simple ‘I am grateful that I have woken up’. This is truly something to be grateful for because sadly many people today will not. You could follow this up with I am grateful for the shelter I had last night, the fresh air I am breathing, and the clothing I will put on. Start with and keep it simple. Then set the tone for the day with an ‘I'm going to do my best today’.

Waking up affords you the opportunity to do so much good. For example, perhaps you’re meeting a friend at a coffee shop later, maybe you could, without announcing it, pay for their purchase.

Each morning is a fresh start from the day before and is truly a gift.

Overthinking can easily diminish our sense of gratitude. When we overthink we play so many unlikely scenarios in our imagination that it begins to overwhelm us. This causes undo anxiety and stress about the future and it’s a future that is non-existent.

So how do we begin to stop overthinking?

By looking at what we do have right here, now.

For example, suppose it’s a few days until your next payday. You’re hungry and you open the refrigerator and you see a half o head of lettuce, some condiments, and a half a jar of pickles. Your first thought is ‘I have no food, what will I do? ! I’m going to starve’ 

But is that entirely true? No, it isn't. You have overthought your present situation to a ‘catastrophic’ outcome. You do have food. It may not be the amount you want. The variety you’d like. But it is food and what you have is more than what most have. This is where overthinking has dominated and diminished your gratitude.

To tie in with the previous example of food let’s consider eating. This is a practice best done alone or with someone of the same mindset. It’s an opportunity to consider all that goes into the food you’re about to eat, from the Sun, rain, and soil, to harvesting, shipping, stocking, selection, preparation, to eating.

Everyone involved in this process has done their part to ensure that you, at this very moment, get the necessary nutrition your body requires to live. This certainly is something to be grateful for.

You can embody kindness and selflessness in all acts you perform and with all gifts received. When we give to someone with sincere generosity we are promoting the growth of compassion and selflessness within.

Acts of kindness and generosity never need to be grandiose. Instead focus on doing the small acts such as buying a coffee for the person next in line, letting someone merge on the freeway, asking how the cashiers day is. Recognizing someone's existence as a living being is so very vital to promoting kindness we all want to experience in the world.

Lastly, we can change our perspective from one entitlement, that no matter how hard we work, or good we may think we are, or effort we put into a task, that we are not entitled to a reward or recognition. Instead, appreciating all rewards we receive can be viewed as a gift. This appreciation begins with the moment we wake up and open our eyes. You were not promised this day.

When we change from the entitlement perspective to one of graciousness and gratitude the world looks different. We’re able to see much more of the kindness that truly exists and not the apathy and sarcasm and indifference that seem to make the headlines.

So as you go out into the world don't compare what you have with someone else. What you have and what they have is impermanent. So walk with gratitude with what you have, share your compassion with others, and give the gift of yourself to others. This is how we can develop and share the Buddha nature we all carry inside. 

I wish you peace and ease,

Vladimir

Blue Lotus Mindfulness and Meditation Center is a registered 501(c)(3) religious organization.