Reflect

Based on the number of t-shirts, social media posts, and bumper stickers promoting gratitude, one might conclude that it’s a 21st-century discovery. While these are all good reminders to express gratitude, living gratefully as a way of life has been at the heart of wisdom and faith traditions for millennia. What’s new is the scientific research demonstrating that these established teachings throughout history and across cultures are really good for us: not just individually but collectively, not just spiritually but physically, not just in singular moments but as our very way of being.

There are a lot of gratitude practices that focus on giving thanks for the good stuff. These matter, but they’re only a small piece of what it means to live gratefully in all the moments of our lives, to develop what researchers often refer to as “trait gratitude” — gratitude as an essential part of our character, who we are. To be clear, this isn’t about being grateful for everything. That makes no sense. But it is about responding to all of life, the good stuff and the hard things, with greater presence, perspective, and sense of possibility.

As repairers of a fractured world, we are invited to embody our gratefulness. To do so requires practice, which changes our perspective and makes our gratefulness recognizable to ourselves and others, not only in our actions but in our responses to life. Practice is the key to remaining committed to this way of being in both the joyful and challenging times. Life is never one way for too long, but we can be consistent in our character each step of the way.

This week’s practices invite you to embody gratefulness as an act of resistance by being fully present to yourself, others, and your life.