“Pigle noticed that even though he had a very small heart, it could hold a rather large amount of gratitude.”

The word ‘gratitude’ originates from medieval Latin word ‘gratus’ meaning thankful or pleasing. Gratitude is generally defined as the quality of being thankful, readiness to show appreciation for and to return kindness.
The global traditions for expressing gratitude
Different days of the year are celebrated around the globe to express gratitude, mostly through festivals. These festivals are usually held around the harvest times. The universal theme of these festivals is to thank the gods and the universe for bestowing the mankind with all things wonderful and pleasant. It’s a time to look back at the whole year and count your blessings and say thanks to the almighty and to the universe for being so generous to you and to your loved ones.

For example, the Chinese celebrate it with round delicious fruits and moon cakes representing togetherness; Thanksgiving in the United States is celebrated with pumpkin pie and turkey; and in the south of India, it is celebrated as ‘Pongal’ with rice, milk and sweetmeats. It is a time of contentment, happiness and serenity. The idea behind is to be grateful and thankful for your life and what you have, including your very existence, your possessions however big or small, your loved ones, your community, and to learn to be happy with whatever you have got.

Gratitude and happiness

Just this morning, I was talking to one of my colleagues and she was telling me about all these 30+ yuppies– they have everything you can desire and wish for – great flexible jobs, houses on the beach, no kids to worry about, and no responsibilities. But these fortunate beings are not happy and are extremely dissatisfied with their lives. Why?, because they are ‘bored’, there is no spice in their lives, it’s the same old, same old, it’s too secure, it’s too safe, and it’s too humdrum. What are they lacking in their miserable lives which is preventing them from achieving this elusive happiness? I guess it is the lack of ‘gratitude’. In their hollow lives, there is no joy, no contentment, no peace and no gratitude for all the blessings and abundance that they enjoy on a day to day basis. They are the victims of affluenza! Too much affluence and no spirituality or gratitude.

Practicing gratitude

It is recommended that every morning we should try to write down one thing we are grateful for in our lives. Better still, start a gratitude journal and start filling it up every day with something you feel happy about and you are grateful for.
You could feel and express gratitude for any areas of your life, it could be something really small, something really big or something in between. It could be – the way your partner’s eyes twinkle when he first lays his eyes on you after a long day; the first rays of the sun filtering through the screen door in the morning; first blooms of the spring, swaying gently in the breeze; the way your kids run to you screaming at the top of their voices ‘muuuuuummy’, when you go to pick them up at their school; feeling the first drops of the very first rain on your face after a long and hot summer day; cooking and inhaling the wafting aroma of the fresh green baby spinach just plucked from your veggie patch; the purring of your cat, all cuddled up just next to you; going through old family albums with your family; feeling the cool sand through your toes; smelling an old book; a great pair of shoes; finding just the right shade of lipstick; the radio in your car suddenly playing your favourite long forgotten, half-remembered song; watching your favourite movie with a nice cup of steaming hot masala chai on a rainy day with samosas and spicy coriander chutney (that’s the Indian in me fantasizing)…….I could go on and on but then there is so much to be grateful for, right!!! Everyone’s list is different and unique. It’s like suddenly stumbling across your very own treasure chest, filling it up with your own hand-picked gems, jewels and all sorts of goodies. Simple joys of life which you are grateful for and which bring you small and sometimes immense joys which are hard to explain in words, they could only be felt through your heart and soul.

In a nutshell, gratitude attracts more gratitude, once you begin to feel grateful, it multiplies and you start to notice little reasons to be grateful for all around you. Yes, it is a kind of skill, the more you practice, the better you will get at it. Your overall health and well-being improves. In fact, gratitude is a very positive experience all around. It makes you emotionally, mentally and physically stronger, also it makes you resilient and more zen. You become more philosophical towards adverse situations in your life. You do start to understand the phrase, “when life gives you lemons, make lemonade”. You become more optimistic and less interested in materialism. You begin to understand that the accumulation of wealth and material gains will only lead to wanting for more and more. This Insatiable thirst for money could never be quenched with more wealth. It actually makes you more self-centered, negative and dissatisfied. You lose your touch with the present moment and your ability to enjoy or appreciate simple joys of life. Gratitude is also directly proportional to great supplies of energy, optimism, empathy and compassion. Your self-esteem increases, your mood enhances, your confidence levels go up as you start to feel grateful for and happy about more and more things in your life – big or small, doesn’t really matter.

So, with so many positives, you have to give it a go. Don’t wait for too long, start today, NOW!!!, this very moment…..think of one thing that you are truly grateful for? As a little girl, I always loved reading Winnie the Pooh. The lovable bear who came up with the most profound yet simple philosophical gems. Those little philosophical gems have always stayed with me over the years…..

‘What day is it?’ asked Pooh. ‘It’s today,’ squeaked Piglet. ‘My favourite day,’ said Pooh.
Is today your favourite day? If not, please make it your favourite day…..what’s stopping you? Just keep your heart and soul wide open….

‘How do you spell love?’ – Piglet, ‘you don’t spell it – you feel it.’– Pooh

Love & Happiness Always
Your very own “Vibha”