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When I go out
jogging in the morning, I sometimes notice how much weather
influences people's response to life and to one another.
When it is gray and rainy, many people look unhappy.
When the sun is out and the temperature and humidity are
comfortable, people are smiling and calling out to one
another, "Hello, isn't it a lovely day." For
me, a lovely day is any day I wake up. If I'm awake, I'm
grateful to be alive and to have another day to experience
life.
I speak as a
realist, not an optimist. I know that the longer I live,
the more problems I will have. So what is there to be
grateful for? I am grateful every day for the
opportunity to have more problems, to learn how to live with
them and rejoice in them. That is enough, but there is
more to be thankful for. Every day is another
opportunity to love and interact with God's creation, and on
some days to be a co-creator.
The
weather or the events of the day do not determine whether I am
grateful for my life on that day. Every time I jog
through the world, I am awed by what I find. On a winter
morning, when it seems too cold and slippery for safe jogging
or bicycling, I can still go out and experience the glory of
sunlight turning icy branches into strings of sparkling
diamonds. . . .
If your
gratitude depends on what life gives you or what other people
do for you or to you, you will be disappointed more often than
you are grateful. But you can learn to feel grateful by
rethinking your attitude towards life. First, remember
that contentment lies in giving.
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If you know that giving
is better than receiving, then you can feel grateful for what
you are able to give others.
This does not mean you
ignore your own needs. You will decide what to give and
how to give it, and then at the end of the day you will be
grateful for having had the chance to give in your own
way. Remember, we all have something to give, and our
ability to give is not related to our finances or physical
strength.
Second, be
grateful simply for being alive. When you are grateful
for life, pure and simple, your life becomes one you can be
grateful for. That may strike you as circular or even
backward logic, but your attitude really does have an effect
on how things work out. When you can't change your life
and other way, you can still change your attitude. When
you do, your life changes. You find more chances to
love, and you will be surprised to se how much more love is
returned to you.
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