Thanksgiving, a holiday focused on gratitude, allows us to reflect on our country’s humble beginnings and give thanks for brave voyagers who settled a new country. We give thanks for a magnificent meal and how meaningful that first meal was for those settlers. But it has become more. The act of gratitude has evolved into a trend, a movement, a mantra. Finally, Thanksgiving has become the verb it was always intended to be! Today, Thanksgiving is active; it is gratitude battling back against anxiety, stress, and worry. It reclaims our sanity in this pressure-cooker we call modern life. Our abundance comes at a high cost. Complex and fast paced, our world is comfortable, yet oddly discontented. This leaves us scratching our heads, while our anxious hearts flutter, and our brow furrows pondering why life is so hard.
As Buddhist Monk Thich Nhat Hanh shares, “There is no way to happiness. Happiness is the way.” Gratitude works in a similar way. The more grateful we are, the more we expand our world. The less grateful we are, focusing on what is not working in our lives, the less beauty and wonder we experience. In that state, we attract more of what we are struggling against.
The late Wayne Dyer, a wise sage, who spent his life studying what wise old sages had to say on life, shared his wisdom with us when he proclaimed that “When you change the way you look at things, the things you look at change.” This gratitude movement is changing lives and countering our egos, that have been having a field day with our emotions, running our spirits into the ground, and ensuring we feel trampled, less than, exhausted, stressed, and in constant need of external approval. “Ego says, ‘Once everything falls into place, I’ll feel peace.’ Spirit says, ‘Find your peace, and then everything will fall into place,’ ” Marianne Williamson shares this beautiful perspective with us from her interpretation of A Course in Miracles.
Gratitude can easily be found in our bounty of friends and family and our beautiful things, however it can also be found in our suffering. In our suffering, we grow and find new strength for days ahead. In this way, our opportunity for gratitude is stretched and broadened reaching beyond our comfort, eventually providing healing grace.
There is a common theme among these quotes from Hanh, Dyer and Williamson. The ego tells us, do not rest until you achieve your ideal. When you do, then you can stop and smell the roses, then you will be good enough, only then can you rest. This misperception has the ability to squander our lives, so thank you Thanksgiving for giving us pause.
As you enter this holiday season, consider Thanksgiving an invitation to a new awareness. Challenge yourself to allow gratitude to be your guide to peace in life.
If you are interested in creating a life of balance and joy, visit www.Center4C.com to learn more about Kim Perone and Helene Verdile, Certified Life Coaches. The Center for Clarity, Compassion & Contentment ~ a wellness center located behind Edward Jones, offers one-on-one and group coaching programs: The Power of YOU!, Live by Design (Not Default), Fearless, Joy Starts Here, Innerspace, Soul Sessions and Inspired Life Book Clubs. The Center also hosts a dozen other wellness practitioners and their activities.
