Page 30 - Power of Gratitude

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abruptly are we are pulled out of our ‘reverie’ and sometimes thrown

asunder. Our first response may be to jump to quick assumptions and
conclusions and then to the complaints.

Take, for example; you are cruising in your newly bought car to
work in the ‘usual’ traffic growl, an attitude which you are now so used

to. Then, abruptly everything comes to a squawking halt, and you sit.
Minutes go by, and nothing moves; you persistently keep an eye fixed

on the time and straining at the same time to see what the holdup is
about. Then frustration turns to anger and blame sets in, resulting in

complaints to anyone who will listen. Especially when you are alone,
you murmur and complain just to satisfy your anger, because your usual

drive to work was interrupted.

For the times that we get trapped in our habitual way of living,

believing this is the way things are, we have little time to express gratitude
for anything. We may really think we are grateful for things in our lives

that we take for granted but never show gratitude verbally or mindfully.
It is like a man who tells his wife, “honey, I cherish your being. If that

ever changes, I would let you know,” then you should never say these
words to her again. Expressing gratitude is just massive, and we just

might not know how much we are bringing along as we do so.

Have you thought of waking up in the morning and straightway,

you walked to the mirror, and there you stretch out your hands in the
air while yawning? Then you wear a beautiful smile on your face, with

such words of gratitude as “thank God it is another morning,” or “how
beautiful it is to see another day!” When you do this over and over time,

one can be sure that a feeling of peace envelops your being that you
would always want to stay out of the way of trouble. Even in the face

of violence or confrontation, you will remain calm, conscious of how
you have started your day, and that you do not want anyone to ruin the

happiness which the new day has bestowed on you. Were this a frame of
attitude that we all confine ourselves in, the world would no doubt be a

peaceful place to live.

Gratitude arouses you as you begin your day. Wearing a smile while