Thoughts On Thankfulness

The week of Thanksgiving has ironically given me the reminder of so many things that I often take for granted that I ought to be grateful for. The week started out with Aspen being diagnosed with pneumonia and with me experiencing a persistent dull pain in my right hand and arm. Fortunately Aspen has improved-though she is still quite sick and now I've got her cold-and my pain subsided. However it has been a great reminder of so many things, like good health in myself and my loved ones, that I often take for granted. It was for this reason I somewhat jokingly-though somewhat seriously-posted my Facebook status as "I'm grateful that I have so many things I can take for granted".

Unfortunately though one of the most tragic of all human frailties is our inherent failure to appreciate that which we already have. We persistently engage subconsciously or consciously in the pursuit of enhancing and improving our situation with such diligence that we leave no mental space to relish the incredible bounty of our current circumstances. There is even a well-known saying that describes this reality-'the grass is always greener on the other side'. The first great tragedy in this is we so often imperil the great blessings we already have-jumping towards greener pastures only to realize the grass now looks greener where we once stood. The second aspect of this tragedy is that ingratitude robs of us the joy of what we already have. There is a certain irony in the situation that so many us experience. Here we live in a time and place (the United States) where our standard of living far exceeds that of the vast majority of humankind both past and present and yet we squander it's enjoyment lamenting how we don't have as large a house as a friend or relative, drive a car as fancy or that we don't have other commodities and services available to those wealthier than ourselves. Similarly we taint the joy of our good health daydreaming of being in a healthier, better-looking body and worst of all we ruin beautiful friendships and family relationships as we drift to thoughts of the types of friends and family we'd rather have.


All this has brought me to a recognition of the wisdom of one aspect of the tradition I was brought up in. As is true for most raised in religious traditions I was instructed on the importance of daily prayer and especially the importance of always including specific things for which I was grateful. Now I'm not going to discuss or argue whether or not someone actually listens to prayers. I have friends and family on both sides of that argument. But regardless of one's beliefs one can see the benefit to the person praying. Admittedly as in all religious practice there is the tendency to become repetitive and to lose any real meaningful reflection-but with effort for true focus on the positives of one's life there can be clear benefit. Such prayer gives a daily time of meditating the things going right in one's life-a time when one sets aside the persistent chase of the unattained (and often completely unattainable) social status, material goods, or the imagined perfect relationship for recognizing that even if none of those things are achieved that we have so much that we can sow happiness from already. It doesn't mean that we necessarily forget to seek after improvement in our life as that pursuit itself can offer us great rewards-but it does leave us with greater fulfillment regardless of the success of our efforts. I think even from a secular perspective a practice of daily contemplation upon the things for which one is grateful can brighten one's life. Even if one doesn't feel all blessings we possess are from divine providence I feel gratitude and appreciation for good fortune requires no benefactor. So this Thanksgiving I've decided to try harder incorporate the daily practice of thankfulness into my life. Happiness of the least price but of the greatest worth is often found in the appreciation of what we already have.