Gratitude

Talking about gratitude is easy.

Practicing gratitude… that is the tricky part.

Having lived in Europe my whole life, I am not truly qualified to complain much. However, I do: I complain about the bus being late, again and again, about the rain and the lack of sunshine, about my weight and  the customers screaming on the phone, about not feeling as successful as I think I am supposed to be as per the Occidental rules and guidelines. I complain about other people’s complaints, about the road trip to Dublin airport anytime I try to get away on holidays, about the politicians and their corruption, about the increase in rent and the impoverishment of the people on social welfare. The rich will get richer and the poor… well we are fucked.

And, though all my complaints seem to be legit and based on true facts, I am not sure I am entitled to complain.

The human being is programmed to complain from birth. We are trained to be unhappy with what we have and we seek happiness in material things, in social status and acceptance. We think we need a bigger house, a newer car, pretty clothes and lots of friends to be with all the time. And, there is nothing wrong with the desire of getting a better life. But we are always craving for a bigger house, a newer car and new clothes to show off with friends all the time but at the end none of them provide happiness.

Because the real happiness is in within us.

Courtesy of Lisa Berry
https://www.instagram.com/lisaberrylive/

So, why practicing gratitude is so hard?

I believe when we look outside, we can only see what others have and we don’t. We are so blinded by the shine of material possessions that we forget what we already have. And the ironic part is that most of times, we have more than enough and we don’t even notice:

You get a new lipstick because the lady in the magazine looks pretty and sophisticated and then you get home and find out a very similar one that you got a few weeks ago. The sadly part is that every model in the magazine is wearing a different color and a different brand.

You believe you need a new pair of jeans because it takes a while to dry and you are not supposed to use the same jeans two days in a row. Well, guess what? Nobody notices that you are wearing the same pair of jeans and if they do, they have the problem wasting their time with gossip and nonsense.

If we looked inside, we would realize how intense our light is. We shine so strong that we can heal other people’s soul just with a kind word. We are unique and lovable. We can feel pain, and fear, and anger, yes, we are human beings, but we are full of hope and faith and we love. Love is the higher vibration in the universe. And nothing can stop it. Not even death.

We need to stop craving for new things. We need to turn our world upside down, to challenge those believes, dismiss the old ones and leave room for new experiences. We need to start being grateful for what we already have and for what is about to come. We don’t need a new phone. We don’t need to be accepted. We need to accept ourselves just exactly how we are. We are perfect the way we are. We are part of the Divine and we are capable to love.

We need to express gratitude for those everyday’s little challenges: the bus being late because you can listen to your favorite song; the customer having a bad day, because you might be his helping hand; the road trip to Dublin airport, because you have a few hours to chill out before the security control; the politicians and their corruption… I can’t see any good coming from that but we are free to speak.

Let’s be grateful for a new day, sunny or rainy, it does not matter. The Sun will warm you up. The rain will clear your thoughts.

Be grateful for all the strength you got after the big challenges in life. How are you being prepared for those tough times that might come. You will be strong enough for you and for others.

Be grateful for being alive. You are a blessing for your love ones.

Be grateful.

Because, with gratitude, happiness comes along.

Namaste.

"Close your eyes and you will see that you are all you really need"

I Believe, Bon Jovi