11-27-2012, 05:20 AM
I read an interesting article on being grateful and thought i'd paste it here:
Well personally, i won't be making any 'gratitude lists' anytime soon. I grew up poor and have always appreciated what i have, and not necessarily relating to good health either. A few people i know who have a lot of disposable income, and for whom money is rarely an issue, seem to be the unhappiest sorts i know. They never seem to have enough, and always want for more. It's like there's this gaping void somewhere inside themselves, and buying more stuff is a way to plug the hole, which of course, never really works.
Like most people nowadays in the Western world, i've been through hard times where i've had to heat a can of soup up by placing it delicately on top of a radiator, because i've been too broke to afford a cooker. I've survived minus temperature winters by wrapping up in several layers of clothing and hopping on a stationary exercise bike in order to keep my circulation going, when i've been too skint to buy gas to heat my home. I'm actually grateful for experiencing these things because it not only makes you thankful for what you have, it also increases adaptability, resilience, resourcefulness, and contributes to an overall positive disposition.
I wince with embarrassment when i witness both children and adults complain about all the things they don't have. It doesn't take Captain Obvious to point out that the list of things you don't have, is going to be far longer that the list of things you do have. One thought that helps me bear in mind the value of gratitude is that there's millions of people who are worse off than myself, and occassionally i remind myself of that fact when i go into the kitchen and run the tap to fill the kettle up, or when i turn on a light when it's gone dark.
I'm thankful for the things i have, and i appreciate what and who i have in my life, and can't imagine there ever being a time when i wouldn't be grateful.
Well personally, i won't be making any 'gratitude lists' anytime soon. I grew up poor and have always appreciated what i have, and not necessarily relating to good health either. A few people i know who have a lot of disposable income, and for whom money is rarely an issue, seem to be the unhappiest sorts i know. They never seem to have enough, and always want for more. It's like there's this gaping void somewhere inside themselves, and buying more stuff is a way to plug the hole, which of course, never really works.
Like most people nowadays in the Western world, i've been through hard times where i've had to heat a can of soup up by placing it delicately on top of a radiator, because i've been too broke to afford a cooker. I've survived minus temperature winters by wrapping up in several layers of clothing and hopping on a stationary exercise bike in order to keep my circulation going, when i've been too skint to buy gas to heat my home. I'm actually grateful for experiencing these things because it not only makes you thankful for what you have, it also increases adaptability, resilience, resourcefulness, and contributes to an overall positive disposition.
I wince with embarrassment when i witness both children and adults complain about all the things they don't have. It doesn't take Captain Obvious to point out that the list of things you don't have, is going to be far longer that the list of things you do have. One thought that helps me bear in mind the value of gratitude is that there's millions of people who are worse off than myself, and occassionally i remind myself of that fact when i go into the kitchen and run the tap to fill the kettle up, or when i turn on a light when it's gone dark.
I'm thankful for the things i have, and i appreciate what and who i have in my life, and can't imagine there ever being a time when i wouldn't be grateful.