Mindfulness Mondays 13: Gratitude
August 24, 2009 by dr. lam
What? A fourth or fifth blog on gratitude? Absolutely, if I could write about gratitude every single day I would. Don’t worry: this is just a gentle reminder (an occasional one) to be thankful for what we have. Most oftentimes we pray out of a desire or a lack of something. Instead, we all should pray with unbridled gratitude. No matter what we have, we should be thankful. No matter what tragedy should befall us, we should hold gratitude in our hearts and our souls.
When I do yoga and I am in excruciating discomfort of holding a pose, the teacher reminds us, “Be grateful that you can even do this. There are people in wheelchairs that would give anything to do what you are doing.” That truly puts things into perspective. My father was ill many years and wheelchair bound, and he would exclaim, “I can’t believe that people with good legs would waste them by not playing golf,” a passionate avocation of my father during his healthier days. When we don’t encounter sickness or weakness, we just assume we are where we are because that is natural. We then start to turn to petty things because that is where our mind is consumed. A director of my anti-aging center, Deborah Haynes, opened one of her lectures I attended in Cleveland with a wonderful aphorism: “A healthy man has a thousand wishes. A sick man has but one.” How true.
This week (and for the rest of our lives), wake up with the words “thank you” on your breath and go to sleep with the same. Spend every waking moment even during times of frustration and pain with an open heart and with gratitude. Fill your prayers with supplicative gratitude rather than needy wants. Just be thankful. Open your heart with gratitude.
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7 Responses to “Mindfulness Mondays 13: Gratitude”
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Thank you for telling us again. We can’t hear it too often.
Have a wonderful week.
Sam,
So well put! I was thinking of you last night as I picked up The Four Agreements to read again… thanks for always sharing such inspirational thoughts… love this quote about the “sick man”… will start using that one today! Have a great day!
michelle
thanks nord and michelle! hope you and jason are doing well!
I just saw this on facebook and doc, I totally agree with what Deborah Haynes said about sick man. That is so true. I have experienced that. Your blog reminded me to be thankful everyday in spite of life challenges, pressure and insurmountable problems that I have to face. Thank you.
thanks sherie! appreciate your words.
Great message, Dr. Lam! Actually, this really meant a lot to me, because I tend to get in a self-pity mode over having been completely neglected growing up, and needed to realize that it is all a matter of perspective and not necessarily circumstance. Also, there is so much that I have to be thankful for that I overlook and there are so many people out there that have or have had it worse. About a year ago, I met this gentleman that was in a wheelchair because of an accident a few years before, and I was really impressed with him because he had the most optimistic outlook on life. He was even thankful for the accident, because he said that it had changed his outlook on life and made him more grateful. That just really impressed me and I hope I can get to a point of being that grateful. Thanks for sharing about your dad, Dr. Lam!
Great comments, blog buddies!
thanks heather. beautifully put!