"The Practice of Gratitude"

We can only be said to be alive in those moments
when our hearts are conscious of our treasures.
— Thornton Wilder

Driving in Bay Area morning commute traffic, I had the idiotic idea that I needed to call and check my messages. Looking down at my phone I unconsciously swerved into the next lane narrowly missing another car and almost causing a major accident. My heart was racing and my inner critic was deafening… I could have been killed and taken a lot of people with me! After settling down I began thinking about how lucky I have been. So many times in my life my inattention or someone else’s could have been fatal. My stress and self-judgment suddenly turned into a sense of overwhelming gratitude for all the gifts I have received in this life, starting with the gift of life itself. The more I counted my blessings, the more blessed I was feeling. A vibrant sense of aliveness came over me. It was as if every cell in my body was resonating to some ancient song of primordial celebration. My mind was clear and my heart was overflowing with joy!

When I started counting my blessings, my whole life turned around.
— Willie Nelson

A billion children on our beautiful blue planet go to bed hungry every night, one in eight people don’t have access to clean water, and half of the global population lives on less than two dollars a day… Our culture lives with such abundance that we take for granted how truly blessed we are. Brother David has a practice of choosing something to be grateful for each day; it could be water, electricity, anything green or blue, a smile or just a deep breath of fresh air. Try creating your own list of things to be grateful for each day and join me. When we practice gratitude we feel more alive and when I feel that aliveness I come to the question, “What am I going to contribute with the life I’ve been given?” I look at the course of my life and how I am manifesting my life’s purpose. When you start with gratitude the doors of perception and opportunity begin to open. Could there be a more powerful practice than this manifestation of love?

We learn by practice. Whether it means to learn to dance by practicing dancing
or to learn to live by practicing living, the principles are the same.
One becomes in some area an athlete of God.
— Martha Graham

I have seen that my primary purpose in life is to learn how to love and to serve. That is what calls to me from my deepest heart of hearts. It is a moment-to-moment engagement that will certainly consume me for all my days. When I practice this purpose my life is filled with joy and I bring myself fully to the present moment. It is only in the Now that profound healing can take place. Practicing gratitude is an evolutionary tool that has the power to transform our very nature. What is your life purpose and how can you make thanks-giving into a daily practice in your own life? When we discover our own true purpose there is little time to waste on trivial pursuits or getting lost in stress, anxiety and depression. The healing power of gratefulness grows as we make it a regular practice?

It is impossible to feel grateful and depressed in the same moment.
— Naomi Williams

So many people today are using antidepressants and other drugs in an attempt to cope with pervasive anxiety, uncertainty and distraction. Gratitude may be a more powerful path to peace, presence and a greater sense of purpose. I have come to recognize that times of pain and suffering, while difficult, have actually been gifts that have led me to greater compassion, humility and appreciation for what I do have. In these things I discover my own humanness and it deepens my sense connection with others who have suffered or endured similar pain.

Since I started practicing gratitude I have been having momentary bliss attacks. Last week when I was driving home on Highway 80 the sunset was so overwhelmingly beautiful I had to pull over to the side of the road and take it in. Stopping to see the aliveness and awesome beauty in nature makes me truly alive. It also helps me avoid accidents.

Wishing you all great blessings on this Thanksgiving and every day. I invite you to join me in making gratefulness a spiritual practice today and every day. I hope you will listen in this Thursday for the Special Conversations Thanksgiving show on KVMR from noon to 2pm, with segments of interviews I have done with Lynn Twist, Brother David and Roshi Joan Halifax, music and much more…

Love,
michael

We're not grateful because we're happy,
we're happy because we are grateful.
— Lynn Twist