PRACTICE GRATITUDE

2 PARAGRAPHS 4 LIBERTY: 462

So I have asked this question before, but what is the best thing that can happen to a person? Obviously this question could have many answers, but to me it is looking back over our lives with the gratification of believing that the world is a somewhat better place because we spent our span of years on it. And that gratification can come from Saving the Whales, contributing to worthy causes like The Nature Conservancy or, certainly, raising one’s children to be happy, well-adjusted and successful. In fact, it is my understanding that gratitude and anxiety cannot exist in our brains at the same time. Okay, I know that some people worship at the religion of “My yacht is bigger than your yacht,” but we can always find someone with a bigger yacht. (So I have concluded that this religion is shallow.)

Furthermore, I have found that being appreciative along with having a sense of gratitude goes a long way toward creating a happy life. Look at it this way, people who crave having more money will always be poor. But people who are appreciative of what they have are not poor. And being privileged to live here in the United States of America puts us all in at least the top five percent of the people most blessed in the history of the world. And I for one appreciate my great fortune to be here, and am gratified by it! So I try to practice gratitude. How about you?

(Quote for the week: Old people shouldn’t eat healthy foods. They need all the preservatives they can get.” Robert Orbin)