Life is too ironic to fully understand it. It takes sadness to know what happiness is; noise to appreciate silence, and absence to value presence.
– Anonymous

We take things and people for granted on a daily basis, so much so that we’re no longer conscious of what we are doing. When we are fortunate enough to have an income, we take for granted that we are going to be able to eat every day. When we are healthy, we seldom think about what a privilege it is to be able to do anything we want (watching a movie, swimming, going for a walk, dance, etc.), whenever we want.
I found myself thinking about these ironies because, after years of planning, wishing and visualizing, this week we finally ‘refreshed’ the look on our website (more on that below). As usual, whenever this kind of change is implemented, there are little – or big! – wrinkles to iron out. We have become so used to our website always being accessible and online; and now, during the brief period of time when it was offline, you realize how much you get used to depending on certain things, taking them for granted.
Why is it that we only think about the value of certain persons, or qualities, or things; when we (temporarily or indefinitely) cease to have them? We may never know the answer. What is true is that we need these ironies in order to grasp the importance of best and most precious parts of our lives.
This is, perhaps, the reason why practicing gratitude is beyond relevant – even sacred. Gratitude will always remind us that what we have could be gone in a flash, with or without our acknowledgment or ‘approval’. That’s why we have to be thankful for everything, everyday.
Do you wait until you no longer have something/someone in your life to fully appreciate it? Or, do you make a point to be grateful for it everyday? How do yo practice gratitude? I love the idea of a gratitude journal but there are many other ways: meditation, prayer, etc. I would love to know your take on it, please e-mail me at docbeverly@aol.com if you want to share any insights. Oh – and tell us what you think about the new look of our website!