It’s come around again, that luscious holiday whose sole purpose is to nurture gratitude. What a beautiful tradition, an entire day devoted to Thanksgiving. Of course, we only need such a holiday because gratitude does not come easily in our culture. And while a case can be made that this is due to a certain selfishness that is woven through our lives, that doesn’t tell the whole tale.
There is, you see, an interesting thing about gratitude: our ability to be authentically thankful depends on our capacity to fully and deeply receive. If we don’t let the gifts in, expressing thanks won’t come naturally. At best, it will be a mere formality, something we know we ought to do. Our hearts won’t be in it, because our hearts were never touched in the first place. On the other hand, when we fully experience the gifts given us, gratitude arises spontaneously, as naturally as exhalation follows inhalation.
Let’s test this idea. First, bring to mind a gift your life has brought you. It can be large or small, a thing you can see or touch, or something no less precious for being less tangible. It could be anything…the sound of children playing downstairs, a cherished item, the steady love of a dear friend or family member, the clear sky outside your window.
With that gift in mind, begin pairing your awareness of it with your respiration cycle. With complete presence, fully receive that gift on the inhale, letting yourself know its value, its beauty, the joy it brings or makes possible. As you release the breath, simply pay attention to what arises. Notice if gratitude does, in fact, appear. But don’t stop there.
Breathe in again as you open even more deeply to the delight that gift offers. And on your exhalation, notice if the quality of gratitude changes. Continue this process for several rounds of breath, receiving fully on the in~breath, and recognizing the shifting quality of gratitude on the exhale.
Our culture may, indeed, promote a certain selfishness. Yet couldn’t this be because its hectic pace encourages us to stay on the surface of life? When we live superficially, we don’t fully experience what comes our way. We are then never truly nourished, which leads to frantic attempts to fill the void.
But in dropping down into deep receptivity, the hole begins to fill and what had appeared as self~centeredness is replaced by something else. Gratitude. A spontaneous feeling of appreciation. A thanksgiving. And then something truly magical occurs. When we allow ourselves to fully receive, an urge to give back rises on its own. Receiving makes us naturally more giving, a fact that is no less true for being somewhat paradoxical.
So, yes, let’s enact gratitude this Thanksgiving day, but let’s allow it to rise from an experience of fully receiving. Then that generosity of spirit, the one the holiday is designed to celebrate, will rise up all on its own. Ahhhh...
With gratitude overflowing for so many things...including each one of you. Really!
Leia
