Gratitude Is The Sign

For My Dad . . .

. . . I am and always will be grateful. He is my friend, my mentor, my confidant, wing man,  inspiration and the person with whom I laugh the most. He has come to my rescue when no one else was able to and offers guidance sparingly. The world is mine to figure out, but he is always there when the world is too much. He is the perfect balance of logic and love. Most importantly, there has never been anything wrong with me being myself; his son.

Love you, Dad.

To Respect Life Is To Be Grateful

Gratitude bestows reverence, allowing us to encounter everyday epiphanies, those transcendent moments of awe that change forever how we experience life and the world.

- John Milton 

As we grow, most of us tend to encounter stern reminders of what we should respect. An elder has surely taken it upon themselves to instruct you on what you should respect and how respectful you must be to whomever or in any given situation. But, in my experience, there were never really any reminders to respect the life I was living or experiencing. I was always told to show respect for others, myself or moments demanding respect, but never life in general. How is one supposed to even show respect for life?

The answer is gratitude. The energy of gratitude is respectful and when that energy is emitted from you, being a sincere beacon, good things and kindness will navigate in your direction. You may not be able to see all the good that comes from being grateful, but if shown gratitude, life and the world will ladle your horizon with positive energy and projections against that which would seek to stifle your progress.

So, be reminded to respect yourself, respect others and be grateful. The balance of life will be rewarding.

The Grass Is Greener . . .

A dear and lovely friend inspired me today with her words of sincere, enlightened observation.

"The grass is greener wherever it's watered ... cultivated ... "

Most of us are used to the phrase, "The grass is always greener on the other side." Her spin on the classic saying injects not only truth and perspective into something almost cliche, but it invites us to take another look at our own "grass," if you will,  and reestablish an appreciation for the effort put forth into acquiring what we have. The grass may be greener on the other side now, but with care and attention, our humble plots may flourish and grow to be lush with bountiful opportunity, so much so that the other side will cease to matter. And even if the grass continues to be greener elsewhere,  we certainly do not deserve to set foot onto those greener pastures until we can say with assurance that we are grateful for that which we have today.

Fertilize your life with love, kindness and gratitude. Your grass will be admired through the fence of envy by those opportunistic souls who neglect their own in pursuit of what appears to be better. 

Quality of Life

Taken directly from Wikipedia, The term quality of life is used to evaluate the general well-being of individuals and societies. The term is used in a wide range of contexts, including the fields of international development, healthcare, and politics. Quality of life should not be confused with the concept of standard of living, which is based primarily on income. Instead, standard indicators of the quality of life include not only wealth and employment, but also the built environment, physical and mental health, education, recreation and leisure time, and social belonging.

We all can agree that these indicators are accurate measures by which we can assess the overall quality of our lives, but there is one big omission.

Your individual scale of gratitude can alter your outlook on any economic, social, political, environmental or personal indicator of the quality of your life. What truly matters most to you; that which you are sincerely grateful for--if identified and acknowledged--will bring to light a level of perspective that allows you to exist not on a vertical scale of positives and negatives, but rather a horizontal plain of quality. You need only explore that plain to discover new things and experiences to be grateful for, but what remains most important is that the negative aspect does not exist unless we allow it to exist.

The quality of our lives is heavily hinged upon what we are grateful for, pure and simple. Once we are able to identify what matters most to quantifying happiness, the indicators based on studies of economics and science become nothing more than lingering clouds.

Digging Deep

Sometimes, focusing on what we have to be grateful for is like drilling for oil on land that has already been tapped. The positives of life become miniscule in comparison to your woes and troubles. But like an oil company, you must keep drilling. You will find something be grateful for. It may take more time than you think you have left, more resources that you currently have and more resilience than you knew you had, but staying focused on being grateful will definitely pay off and lead you through the worst that life can muster.

To Expect Gratitude

Gratitude is a duty which ought to be paid, but which none have a right to expect.
-Jean Jacques-Rousseau

To expect gratitude is to invite disappointment into your life. We hope that gratitude will be expressed when we bestow kindness and generosity, but this is often not the case. Sometimes we must accept the fact that the gift we get in return for our kindness and generosity is the realization that we have the ability to do such good for others.

Gratitude is expressed in many different ways and sometimes it simply cannot be seen. We cannot place expectations on the delivery of such a virtue, but this by no means dampens its importance.

If You Must Draw Comparisons

Of all the great human virtues, gratitude serves us the most. However, for far too many, gratitude is not regularly practiced, but sporadically triggered by experiences, images, or stories that bring to light how fortunate we are in comparison to others.

You often find these instances of grateful enlightenment had by travelers to third world countries, where fresh water is barely accessible, food is scarce and human safety pales in comparison to more developed, economically sound countries.

While it is wonderful that people are able to have these experiences, it should not take seeing people who are less fortunate than you for you to realize and appreciate how fortunate you really are. With the advancement of media technology and social networking, the excuse of not knowing what lies beyond your comfort zones or your boundaries becomes weaker and weaker.

The world is all but exposed across both hemispheres and from pole to pole. We have the ability to know with the click of a mouse how the majority of human beings are fairing across the globe. So, if you must draw comparisons to someone else to be reminded of how grateful you should be, take a moment to assess your awareness for who you are, what you have and your place in this world. You may find reasons to be grateful that do not require drawing comparisons at all.