Deepen Your Time by Feeling Your Hunger and Your Gratitude

Finding time to appreciate the so-called small things is one of life's greatest joys. And in the hustle and bustle -- and the sometimes unnoticed privilege -- of our usual everyday lives, appreciating the small things is a joy that we often neglect to give ourselves.

So when I was thinking about this, the other day, I was reminded of two quotations that I love:

We often take for granted the very things that most deserve our gratitude.

Cynthia Ozick

Only a stomach that rarely feels hungry scorns common things.

Horace

When setting priorities, making decisions, and pondering time choices, the foundational goal, for many of us, is to always be sure that the basics are well-tended to. Food, shelter, clothing - we strive to make these "givens." And many of us have succeeded very well at that. We come to feel that we can count on those basics - and then we tend to forget about them.

But life is unpredictable and no matter how hard we work at it, we don't ultimately have as much control as we'd like to think.

So, imagine your life moving along in its usual way... then something happens. Maybe it's an economic meltdown. Maybe it's a health problem or a natural disaster, or some smaller glitch that's not terrible in the grand scheme of things, but still disruptive and inconvenient.

Whatever the change. it leaves us with the life we'd created in some degree of disarray and upheaval. Perhaps we experience cold or hunger. The comforts that we took for granted now seem like luxuries..

So I find it very grounding and eye-opening to remind myself of the fragility of the life I have constructed. This I do, not to frighten myself or create unnecessary worry, but to deepen my gratitude for each and every gift that I am receiving in my 'usual' day. From the warm room I awaken in, to the luxury of having choices for lunch, I am grateful.

When I let myself feel this, I experience my moments in a whole new way!

As you move through your everyday life, what are the "small" things that you are grateful for? Are there ways that you can let the Attitude of Gratitude more thoroughly permeate your days? I'd love to hear how you'll do that. What's your first step?

Let's explore time together...

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