Although I have undoubtedly mentioned it before, it continues to sadden me how much people seem to complain about all the things they don't have in their lives.
Invariably, the next step seems to be an almost complete lack of gratitude for the things they do have.
How did we become a world that's both so demanding, while also being so short on gratitude?
Today is the (largely Christian) tradition of "All Souls Day." As best I can tell, the tradition hails to the 10th century monks who chose a specific day to honor and celebrate departed loved ones.
What made me think about it is the consideration of whether we choose to celebrate our dearly departed... or simply moan and groan because they are gone. Personally, I prefer to focus on a beautiful life that was, rather than getting bogged down in more mourning!
I guess I was raised in a family where gratitude was valued highly.
Rather than eternally focusing about what isn't, I was taught to focus on what IS, even when what is isn't very much.
It was one of the things that helped me get through a spell of homelessness, back when I was in my 20's. Even though I had nothing, I found myself able to be grateful for my good health, and grateful for the fact that I could find enough empty bottles and cans to take to the recycle center that I didn't have to starve.
Which brings me to an interesting conundrum: It often seems to hold true that the more someone has, the less gratitude they seem to have for their bounty, and the more they want... more.
I don't get it!
In a few minutes, I am going to "set this post free" into the Steemitsphere... and again I have a choice: Will I focus on the fact that it's never going to be "one of those" $300 posts I see? Or will I be grateful for the couple of dollars the post most likely will earn?
I choose the latter, and am just generally grateful for the fact that some kindhearted people see my blogging as worth a small tip, here and there!
Thanks for reading, and have a great rest of your week!
How about YOU? Does gratitude come easy for you? Do you focus on what good you DO have, even if that isn't so much? Or are you more likely to be focused on what you do NOT have? Do leave a comment — share your experiences — be part of the conversation!
(All text and images by the author, unless otherwise credited. This is ORIGINAL CONTENT, created expressly for this platform — NOT A CROSSPOST!!!)
Created at 20211102 23:28 PDT
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