Being grateful for GRATITUDE!

I will be proactive and GRATEFUL, so that I may remain aware of, and profit from, all aspects of reality, especially those golden opportunities that may be disguised as hardships or problems.

In an earlier post, I suggested that gratitude, more than just a great perspective on things, can be an actual solution to many challenges, that is, if your ultimate goal is to have a happy life.

In the classic movie, "White Christmas", starring Bing Crosby, Danny Kaye, Rosemary Clooney and Vera Ellen, there is a great scene where Crosby's character spends time with Clooney's character when the two of them are drinking warm milk to deal with a bout of insomnia.  Bing breaks into a song about counting his blessings when he can't sleep.  

I love the word gratitude; I am in fact grateful for gratitude.  I, in fact, often do, exactly what the Bing suggests if I can't sleep because I am allowing some problem (imagined or real) to keep me tossing and turning.  It works amazingly well.... and even if I don't actually fall asleep, I choose to relish just how comfortable my bed and pillow is, and how fortunate I am to feel safe in my bed, due to living in a time and place where acts of crime or war would be extremely irregular, as opposed to a legitimate concern during most parts of history, and in many places even today.

I try to make a point of remembering what may seem mundane such as indoor plumbing, toilet paper and electric lights, along with the more precious, such as my health and safety and that of my loved ones.... and of course the love of my loved ones. I relish the many wonders and luxuries that modern technology has made possible and provides me with an unprecedented quality of life.

I remember and am thankful for the philosophers who helped us recognize that  individual freedoms are proper, the men and women who fought and died for these principles, and the productive geniuses who, thanks to the preconditions of this freedom were able to create the technologies I mentioned before.

I could go on and on, but my goal is to keep these entries short enough for people to read them in one sitting, and hopefully be grateful for getting something out of them.

THANKS to you for reading!