GUIDING THOUGHTS EP.3 : GRATITUDE IS GAS

When I remember all the gifts I have (family, friends, shelter, water, etc.), I feel my heart pound stronger and my internal engine rev up like a new race car. So life must be a matter of not getting distracted or pulled away from that feeling.

To remember something is a bit more than recalling something. Because this type of “gratitude memory” seems to trigger a feeling deep inside my soul. It makes me want to put on music and dance around the house. It makes me want to hug strangers and it makes my eyes water.

It may not be healthy to maintain that level of passion all day long, but I’ve realized that this deep form of memory is an absolute weapon against any external or internal obstacles of the day.

I can’t force myself to be grateful all the time, feelings rain upon me naturally. But it turns out that gratefulness is something that can be practiced. Many human rituals and practices have been formed around that sort of thing: meditations, prayers, holidays, music and dancing.

It seems obvious, but I see that the feeling of gratitude needs to be noticed first to then be practiced. So it’s very important to not be distracted, to not be numbed, and to find ways back.

Gratitude is gas.