A Gateway to Joy
Thanksgiving weekend is upon us, and somehow it feels different this year. We are still enjoying summer like weather and yesterday I harvested tomatoes, zucchini and string beans.
There is much to be thankful for.
I was thinking about that yesterday when I went to the dentist, to be “crowned “ for the first time. I have a sensitive mouth, sinuses easily enflamed and I felt dismayed I had to pay so much for a procedure I dreaded.
Then I reminded myself I wasn’t practicing what I truly believed.
That gratitude is a gateway to joy.
And I thought of those who desperately need dental care and can’t afford it at all, or don’t have access to it. I am privileged indeed to get the care I need to take care of my teeth. Being grateful changed my outlook, even though I didn’t really enjoy the process.
We have so much, that we rarely think about it. Water running out of our tabs, hot when I want it, a warm bed, more clothes than I need, a home that I feel safe in, a car to drive and get me places as I wish. Even a toilet and toilet paper, a good sewer system is a luxury unknown to some. We don’t really think about it.
And I know there is much more. I need to remind myself again and again, that I live a privileged life.
And gratitude is a gateway to Joy.
It’s been told that those who have a little are often happier than those who have much. This is often observed in third world countries where joy is based on relationships, gratitude for the day, not in acquiring possessions.
Sometimes I think possessions are a weight, we have much, we have much to care for.
So this Thanksgiving weekend, I am inspired to be more grateful, to be more generous, to not take things for granted. Even the privilege of visiting the dentist.
Gratitude a Gateway to Joy
