Gratitude Attitude

       Last summer, walking briskly along the Mississippi on the Beaver Island Trail with my good friend, Rich, I inquired about his injured shoulder.  He said something like:  "It still bothers me some.  Then I think about the thousands of other parts of my body that are working just right, and I feel blessed."

       Rich is rich.  His life is grounded in gratitude. 

       What an act of mercy gratitude is.  Focusing on what I have is so much kinder to myself than immersing in what's missing.  As I stay present, inhabiting my body, I feel a stark contrast between the tight contraction of scarcity thinking and the relaxed energy, the lightness, gratitude brings. 

       With practice, seeing beauty and bounty can become a life-enhancing habit.  Practice, practice, practice.

       Happy Thanksgiving!