Kristi Nelson has an intriguing quote in her book “Wake Up Grateful”: “Gratefulness sticks with us unconditionally — whether we feel gratitude or not, whether we are happy or not. It hangs around as we go through the great fullness of life, offering its radically gracious presence.”
It is so interesting to me to think of gratefulness as a PRESENCE, rather than something that I DO. If I think of gratefulness in this way, it seems to me that GRATEFULNESS ITSELF is something that is always here that I sometimes forget to be grateful for.
My health- I have been fortunate to been very healthy for 65 years. Dealing with an issue currently so it is on my mind. Hopefully I will find that it is just minor.
When I first started keeping houseplants
I was amazed that they thrived under my care . . .
most of them suffered my inexperienced hands
with grace
and forgave me for neglecting to water
or over-water.
Some of them,
of course,
didn’t,
and they perished.
Over time
I learned that different plants
needed different kinds of care.
It’s the same with people . . .
we are all different,
with different requirements.
Some of us grow healthy and strong,
while others seem to fade
or become susceptible to illness
and disabling conditions of one kind or another.
Some of us die in our cribs for no apparent reason,
while others flourish well into our nineties,
and sometimes beyond.
I forget to be grateful
for both the surprising fragility
and incredible resilience of life.
I took my natural vitality for granted for many years,
and now I take nothing for granted,
but have learned through my own experiences
and those of the people I love
that we hang in a delicate balance
between health and illness,
between life and death.
I respect that balance
and am learning every day
that all life as we know it is finite,
so I do the best I can
to honor the time I am given
and face forward
with care
for the wisdom the world imbues me with.
Clean water. It flows out of my taps every time I turn them on. I do actually remember to be grateful for it so often but haven’t paused for that lately so this is a good reminder.
I’d say the sun but I live in the Pacific NW and we’re heading into the season we call “The Gray” so I definitely appreciate the sun every time I actually see it this time of year! This morning is sunny after some torrential rains yesterday. The flame-colored trees I can see out my big kitchen window are glowing against the evergreen backdrop.
Hard to come up with one thing that has not been mentioned already. I guess I would add the night sky. I often forget to look up & gaze at all the stars. I usually keep an eye on the moon but not the stars as much. I guess it’s because I am in bed!!!!
I will look up tonight….🌟✨🌟
🕊️♥️
I, too, am grateful for access to clean water. Agua es vida, indeed 💦
Also, the energy of life. The prana that runs through my body and in all of the molecules outside of my body. The prana that connects all of us to everything. I love thinking about that energy, feeling that energy, and doing my best to share and send out good energy to all around me ✨
There were several times when my family went through hardships, but my parents never let us go hungry. Feeding five children, two of whom have disabilities, was not easy, especially in a country where resources to meet basic needs are limited. I remember times when my family of nine (including my grandparents) had exactly nine pieces of chicken for each person. And if my mom saw that one of us wanted more, she would give her piece to her child.
Now, living with my parents-in-law, we have more than enough food. I love eggs and chicken, and now I can eat as much as I want.
I’ve learned to get into the business and political aspects of life out of protection that I occasionally overlook the heart. Back in the old days, care was care. Advice was advice. You could get by without technique.
Transportation was limitted. Families lived close together. 10 people sat at the table eating rice and soup. It was much easier to develop a connection with everyone being the same.
Now, we have to be more careful with what we say and how we present ourselves. Modern society is a melting pod inside out. One wrong technique, we could be screwed. Fortunately, for me, I still have it quite easy and feel like one of the last ones to be blessed with that opportunity.
Settling on a couple part-time piano performing jobs and having good family structure are what I have going for me. I have a better chance than most people within my age group or younger on my boat in traditional Asian social gatherings.
For the younger people in the middle like me having lived in the US much of their lives, I can see how the traditional Asian style of care being reliant on heart, enthusiasm, and blunt correction can come off rather offputting. As I commented on Charlie’s answer yesterday, technique is new for them. Heart is all they really have. I still believe that an old dog can learn new tricks, but according to psychological studies, it’s still more challenging.
Fluid intelligence is the ability to obsorb new information. That decreases as we age. Crystalize intelligence is experience. While fluid intelligence decreases, crystalize intelligence increases.
Back to heart. It ultimately comes back to nature and nurture. To put in a nutshell, putting myself in a more favorable position to be able to receive care by heart is something I’m continuing to work on for compatency. One thing for sure is that I’m trending in the right direction with my agendas gradually and steadily fading.
The impermanence of all, that make up our home, earth. So many gifts provided. Life, the cumulation of all the universe’s intelligence, in of itself impermanent. Makes every moment precious. Peace and Love.
What an interesting answer, Joseph! It is hard for me to feel grateful for impermanence, but you are right that it makes every moment precious. One of the things I love about these daily questions is seeing the sometimes radically different answers that people come up with, each true in their own way.
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Kristi Nelson has an intriguing quote in her book “Wake Up Grateful”: “Gratefulness sticks with us unconditionally — whether we feel gratitude or not, whether we are happy or not. It hangs around as we go through the great fullness of life, offering its radically gracious presence.”
It is so interesting to me to think of gratefulness as a PRESENCE, rather than something that I DO. If I think of gratefulness in this way, it seems to me that GRATEFULNESS ITSELF is something that is always here that I sometimes forget to be grateful for.
Elizabeth, it helps with consistency for sure. Gratefulness exists in every state from the good, the bad, to the evil.
My health- I have been fortunate to been very healthy for 65 years. Dealing with an issue currently so it is on my mind. Hopefully I will find that it is just minor.
May all turn out well, dear Robin Ann, I wll keep you in my heart. Blessings to you.
When I first started keeping houseplants
I was amazed that they thrived under my care . . .
most of them suffered my inexperienced hands
with grace
and forgave me for neglecting to water
or over-water.
Some of them,
of course,
didn’t,
and they perished.
Over time
I learned that different plants
needed different kinds of care.
It’s the same with people . . .
we are all different,
with different requirements.
Some of us grow healthy and strong,
while others seem to fade
or become susceptible to illness
and disabling conditions of one kind or another.
Some of us die in our cribs for no apparent reason,
while others flourish well into our nineties,
and sometimes beyond.
I forget to be grateful
for both the surprising fragility
and incredible resilience of life.
I took my natural vitality for granted for many years,
and now I take nothing for granted,
but have learned through my own experiences
and those of the people I love
that we hang in a delicate balance
between health and illness,
between life and death.
I respect that balance
and am learning every day
that all life as we know it is finite,
so I do the best I can
to honor the time I am given
and face forward
with care
for the wisdom the world imbues me with.
Clean water. It flows out of my taps every time I turn them on. I do actually remember to be grateful for it so often but haven’t paused for that lately so this is a good reminder.
I’d say the sun but I live in the Pacific NW and we’re heading into the season we call “The Gray” so I definitely appreciate the sun every time I actually see it this time of year! This morning is sunny after some torrential rains yesterday. The flame-colored trees I can see out my big kitchen window are glowing against the evergreen backdrop.
I am grateful for the spark of life. To be among the living things. To wake up. Again. And experience some awareness.
Hard to come up with one thing that has not been mentioned already. I guess I would add the night sky. I often forget to look up & gaze at all the stars. I usually keep an eye on the moon but not the stars as much. I guess it’s because I am in bed!!!!
I will look up tonight….🌟✨🌟
🕊️♥️
my body.
The Sun and the Moon…I share my poem called “The Moon Knows”
The moon knows
that it is not
the light.
Without the sun
it would not
rule night.
Like me
sometimes
it turns within
a sliver
then half
then whole again.
Dark clouds
may hide it
from my view.
Dark clouds
I know
I get them, too.
The storm
they bring
will always pass.
The sun
once more
its light will cast.
Upon my sliver,
my half,
my whole.
New light
arises
in my soul.
A moon child
I will
always be.
It’s light
my guide
through stormy seas.
❤️!
Beautiful poem Carol Ann, thank you for sharing.
The current moon, the Beaver Moon, is amazing. 🌕
Watched the moon set this early morning, shining through the newly bared branches of the cottonwoods along the river.
I tried to see the moon last night but the cloud cover was too thick!
It’s been too cloudy for days. Seems to be clearing today so maybe I get to see the moon tonight!
♥
I love your poem, Carol! Thank you so much for sharing!
You are welcome!
Clean air. Our air is good lately. No fire smoke, pollution manageable. That’s not a given and something for which to be grateful.
So very true!!
I, too, am grateful for access to clean water. Agua es vida, indeed 💦
Also, the energy of life. The prana that runs through my body and in all of the molecules outside of my body. The prana that connects all of us to everything. I love thinking about that energy, feeling that energy, and doing my best to share and send out good energy to all around me ✨
I love your reflections about prana, Sunnypatti!
There were several times when my family went through hardships, but my parents never let us go hungry. Feeding five children, two of whom have disabilities, was not easy, especially in a country where resources to meet basic needs are limited. I remember times when my family of nine (including my grandparents) had exactly nine pieces of chicken for each person. And if my mom saw that one of us wanted more, she would give her piece to her child.
Now, living with my parents-in-law, we have more than enough food. I love eggs and chicken, and now I can eat as much as I want.
thank you, Ngoc.🙏
My Ngoc, I can imagine how refreshing that change must be. Hopefully, the lyft card situation gets settled and we can go on more dining dates easier.
I’ve learned to get into the business and political aspects of life out of protection that I occasionally overlook the heart. Back in the old days, care was care. Advice was advice. You could get by without technique.
Transportation was limitted. Families lived close together. 10 people sat at the table eating rice and soup. It was much easier to develop a connection with everyone being the same.
Now, we have to be more careful with what we say and how we present ourselves. Modern society is a melting pod inside out. One wrong technique, we could be screwed. Fortunately, for me, I still have it quite easy and feel like one of the last ones to be blessed with that opportunity.
Settling on a couple part-time piano performing jobs and having good family structure are what I have going for me. I have a better chance than most people within my age group or younger on my boat in traditional Asian social gatherings.
For the younger people in the middle like me having lived in the US much of their lives, I can see how the traditional Asian style of care being reliant on heart, enthusiasm, and blunt correction can come off rather offputting. As I commented on Charlie’s answer yesterday, technique is new for them. Heart is all they really have. I still believe that an old dog can learn new tricks, but according to psychological studies, it’s still more challenging.
Fluid intelligence is the ability to obsorb new information. That decreases as we age. Crystalize intelligence is experience. While fluid intelligence decreases, crystalize intelligence increases.
Back to heart. It ultimately comes back to nature and nurture. To put in a nutshell, putting myself in a more favorable position to be able to receive care by heart is something I’m continuing to work on for compatency. One thing for sure is that I’m trending in the right direction with my agendas gradually and steadily fading.
Clean water. Such a miracle that I turn a handle and out it flows. No walking, hauling or boiling it. We are so fortunate.
I wrote my answer without reading others first. Yes, agua es vida as Joseph says.
water – living in Florida we tend to get more of it than others – def grateful for water.
TGIF!
The impermanence of all, that make up our home, earth. So many gifts provided. Life, the cumulation of all the universe’s intelligence, in of itself impermanent. Makes every moment precious. Peace and Love.
What an interesting answer, Joseph! It is hard for me to feel grateful for impermanence, but you are right that it makes every moment precious. One of the things I love about these daily questions is seeing the sometimes radically different answers that people come up with, each true in their own way.