An Attitude of Gratitude = More Joy
Here is the 6th of The 8 Pillars of Joy from the Dalai Lama and Archbishop Tutu. Living with gratitude makes life far more enjoyable, and for those of us who are concerned with THE BIG GRIEF brought on by our collapsing environment, joy is certainly welcomed!
“It is not joy that makes us grateful; it is gratitude that makes us joyful. Every moment is a gift. there is no certainty that you will have another moment, with all the opportunity that it contains. The gift within every gift is the opportunity it offers us. Most often it is the opportunity to enjoy it, but sometimes a difficult gift is given to us and that can be an opportunity to rise to the challenge.”
Brother David Steindl-Rast
Gratitude makes us joyful.
We certainly can be joyful when the story of our life is full of bliss. What is truly amazing is when the dice are rolling against us and we still find gratitude.
Within the hour of writing this, I’ve received two text messages from two dear friends — both with cancer. Each message contained expressions of profound gratitude.
“I don’t have to chase extraordinary moments to find happiness — it’s right in front of me if I’m paying attention and practicing gratitude.”
Brene Brown
Pay attention, practice gratitude, and joy emerges.
Moments of awe capture us, but if we have eyes to see and ears to hear, those moments are all about us, and happen all the time.
The device that you are using right now, and these words, have your attention in this moment. I’m a guy who typed a dissertation on an Olympia portable typewriter. I have deep gratitude for the world that I can access through my MacBook. And let me tell you, autocorrect is way easier than white-out!
Go for a walk and pay attention. There is an enormous universe out there supporting you and those you love.
Pay attention to your body. Even when it isn’t working perfectly, there is so much for which to be grateful.
“Some people are always grumbling because roses have thorns; I am thankful that thorns have roses.”
Jean-Baptiste Alphonse Karr.
Frame your experiences of life so you live with gratitude.
Roses are everywhere.
So are thorns.
Upon which do you focus your attention?
Catch yourself. Check yourself. And Change your focus to roses.
“Acceptance means not fighting reality. Gratitude means embracing reality.” From The Book of Joy by the Dalai Lama, Desmond Tutu, and Douglas Abrams
As THE BIG GRIEF comes in waves we will, quite naturally, give our attention to the losses.
In those moments, pay attention to the roses. Embrace reality. There you will be grateful. And with that you will find the joy that will sustain you and those you love.
In 2020, I wrote the book LOVING MOTHER EARTH: Integrating Environmentalism and Spirituality, which can be purchased on Amazon, and know that if you do, $5.00 from every purchase is donated to The Sierra Club.
Thank you for Loving Mother Earth. Follow me and I will follow you if, in truth, you are passionate about integrating environmentalism with spirituality. After all, we are in this together.
