LIVING AN ATTITUDE OF GRATITUDE

I just picked up a book at random, opened it, and the first thing I read: "The world's response to us is the result of our reaction to it."

This is not new news. It's the same old same old to my brain. That being true to me, why do I continue to get peeved at my world? At certain people in my world, specifically. Take Gertrude...please! Old joke, old joke, old joke.

If I believe the first statement, then I must believe that my response to Gertrude is the result of her reaction to me and/or Gertrude's response to me is the result of my reaction to Gertrude. We keep the rocking chair rocking, going nowhere, getting nothing but a resentment.

I am reminded of a statement made by Eknath Easwaran about our mental atmosphere becoming polluted by negative thinking: "Although a selfless man or woman may seem to go through the day doing nothing extraordinary, without them nothing would revitalize the atmosphere in which we think."

Being selfless is something we do without thought. If we've got to think about it, it's not selfless. I'm guessing we begin to be a selfless person by simply changing our mind.

Thoughtful without thought is the gift that comes from developing an attitude of gratitude...and living there. We become a grateful person, and God is evident in our lives.

Thank you.