Gratitude Step By Step
Gratitude is not a passive response to something we have been given; gratitude arises from paying attention, from being awake in the presence of everything that lives within and without us. Gratitude is not necessarily something that is shown after the event; it is the deep, a priori state of attention that shows we understand and are equal to the gifted nature of life. David Whyte (Consolations: The Solace, Nourishment and Underlying Meaning of Everyday Words)
Attention must be paid. Arthur Miller (Death of a Salesman)
‘Paying’ attention is an investment that returns joy, peace, satisfaction, and more.
I generally think of myself as grateful, holding gratitude for and in my life, and generous in expressing gratitude to and for others. I was carried into deeper reflection by experiences during Monday’s powerful full moon along with reflections on other experiences which guided me to David Whyte’s essay Gratitude and carried me into deeper reflection.
On the morning of the full moon after witnessing a glorious, pre-dawn moonset, I sauntered along a familiar path gathering wildflower blossoms to create a mandala I’d envisioned a few days before. I felt deep gratitude for the beauty, the flowers, and for the spaciousness in my life to engage in this way. Asking permission before cutting each bloom, I did my best to listen for their replies. Indeed, one sunflower said, “No, not me,” and another piped up, “Me please. I want to go.”
Reflecting later I recalled the time years ago when I was creating the labyrinth in the woods out back. As I walked along roads in the area rock beings caught my attention and seemed to ask if they could come and be a part of the creation. Almost always I honored their request, and I continue to experience rock beings in this way from time to time. Each offering a sense of where it belongs and its purpose.
“In your morning sitting space,” a beautiful, green-tinted Crestone Conglomerate recently said when I saw it on a barefoot walk in the sand. “Hold me to your heart.” I honored the call and continue to hold this being to my heart when I feel drawn to do so. Each time I feel its comfort much like holding a favorite blankie or my stuffed, ‘Hobbes-like’ tiger (you do know Calvin and Hobbes, don’t you?).
Remembering such experiences kindles gratitude, and reading Whyte’s words, gratitude rises from paying attention, reminds me to nourish mindfulness. ‘Paying’ attention is an investment that returns joy, peace, satisfaction, and more. ‘Paying’ attention is free. And it is freeing. Can we ‘afford’ not to ‘pay’ attention? Are we perhaps living in and witnessing the consequences of not paying attention or of investing our attention unwisely? I wonder.
Returning from my full moon morning saunter and walking the labyrinth with a sense of gratitude, the phrase ‘make each step gratitude’ rose in me. I placed my attention there, gently guiding it back as my mind attempted to wander. I wondered how our world might be if we cultivated the rich soil of gratitude with each and every step we take. What might be possible if we paid greater attention to all the beings on our planet home and, indeed, to Mother Earth, Gaia, herself?
As I feel this clear connection between paying attention and gratitude, I see them both as necessary elements for living in the Truth of Oneness, of knowing our divine connection to ALL Life, and to the very Source of Life itself.
May each step we take in the days and weeks ahead be attentive, intentional steps that nourish mindful gratitude for ourselves and for ALL Life. So Be It!
Cindy explores the practical application of mysticism, reflects on life, and writes as she stewards a small property at 8000 feet in the Sangre de Cristo Mountains of Southern Colorado. She aims to align her life choices with Nature and the laws of the Universe. In the midst of the changing environment of a chaotic world, each week Cindy explores navigating these uncharted waters and how to live a life aligned with our highest values in her blog at www.cindyreinhardt.com/blog
