– Gratitude – The transformative power of giving thanks,
It has been quite some time since I sat down to write a blog. Writing for me is akin to making love – you have to be in the mood. And life brings new adventures and wisdom – and that is why I am beginning again.
So it starts with a story. I love to read and I frequently look at book reviews to determine what is next. Some months ago, one of my magazines featured a book on Gratitude by Diana Butler Bass and it sounded like a new take on gratefulness and I ordered it.
When I began to read it – for some reason it did not grab me -so I put it on a shelf in my study. And frankly never gave it another thought. A friend and colleague sent me a video clip of Diana Butler Bass talking about spiritual matters and I didn’t even recognize her name. As I listened to her, I realized I wanted to read her book and ordered it from Amazon – yes you guessed it, without realizing I already owned it. When these types of coincidences occur for me – I take it as a message from Wisdom itself and so I knew it was time to read it.
Obviously it inspired something – she mentions that over 78% of Americans say they feel gratitude at least on a weekly basis. At the same time more than 80% of Americans report grave discontent. In fact, she writes about how we are “held captive by dissatisfaction”. You know how in a moment, you can see yourself reflected in another’s words. Well that is what happened- I noticed that I had been focused, for some period of time, on what wasn’t working in my life – my disappointments and fears were taking hold in new and different ways.
This blog shares a new take on gratitude and is going to attempt to go beyond the “feeling” or the effects of debt and duty, which is basically a score card of someone doing you a favor, and you doing them a favor and back and forth. (quid pro quo). This blog will be about gift and response…and will move from a private sense of gratitude to the communal transformative power of thanks that could lead us to greater well- being and compassion.
I live near the California Campfire zone – far enough away to not experience imminent danger and close enough to be monumentally grateful for my home, my dogs, and my husband, all being safe.
And yes Thanksgiving is next week – but that is more coincidence than design.
I hope those of you who join the reading of this blog – whether you have read my blogs before or not- you will also join me on the exploration of a new gratitude that is transformative for us as individuals and as community members and as citizens alive in this time of great upheaval and conflict.
I will be writing weekly through year end. Until next week, I am thankful for whoever reads this now and look forward to your comments below. Oh and a shout out to Lori for sending me the video clip…you have my thanks! 😊
