Gratitude

 

15 January 2021

Gratitude

Why should I waste my time and energy just to be grateful,

As letting my heart fill with gratitude doesn’t pay my bills,

I have more than enough to do just to live each day

Without having to be thankful for everything, including my ills.

When, as a game, I take the time to list all the things,

Like friends, nature, and music, that I am thankful for

I end up including everything I can think of in my life,

And even then, could just keep adding more and more.

Even my sore and battered hip that slows me down,

And the complete insanity of our world that is nearing its end

Get added to my list whenever I reluctantly admit

That what I see as dangerous and annoying is also my friend

For the many complexities and mysteries of life

Which I wonder about but don’t fully understand,

All are entangled together in deep and mysterious ways

That I can never hope to begin to comprehend.

And somehow, equally mysteriously, just the simple act

Of thinking about all the things I am grateful for

Affirms the importance and strength of these entanglements

And supports my efforts to understand the depths of my core.

Even if I can’t find words to say how it all fits together,

I sense that saying thanks to these mysterious powers

Is crucially important both to me and to all of life

As we continue to grow together, expand, and flower.