An Attitude of Gratitude

How many of your friends blame their parents for their problems? I know people who don't talk to their mothers or fathers, have purposely moved far away from them, or resent having to interact with them. The relationship many of us have with our mothers or fathers would be shocking to people in many other societies. To be honest, at various times of my life, I have blamed my mother various things -- periods of low self-esteem and a bad body image, relationship woes -- you name it.

Yesterday, my daughter's school, the wonderful Montclair Cooperative, agreed to become the sister school to Escuela Kimna'oj in Santa Maria de Jesus, Guatemala. After the meeting with the principal, I was overcome with emotion thinking of how my parents created so many possibilities for me. So it felt good to call my mom and dad and thank them -- for creating me, for changing my diapers and wiping my butt!, for instilling in me good morals and ethics, and for all the help they have given me over the years to realize my dreams. It was important to me to speak to them and thank them for my life. This "attitude of gratitude" made me feel really happy. And it's no surprise that scientific research has recently shown that practicing gratitude may be the fastest single pathway to happiness, health, long life, and prosperity -- something most spiritual traditions have been claiming forever!

So as your ONE THING today, try thanking someone for your life. We are leading magical lives -- lives where we twist our wrists and water comes out of the faucet. Lives where we can speak to people miles and even countries away. Lives where we can turn on lights 24/7. Our lives are full of magic the rest of the world barely dreams of. So thank someone.

Also, I want to mention that today, when I walked my dog around the block, I noticed that the rain had washed many worms out of the earth. They were struggling on the sidewalk. Much as I don't like to touch worms, I picked them up and placed them back in the dirt. After all, they are someone's parents too...

For my "do no harm" pledge, I am committing to leaving more time to get to things. I have a habit of cramming that one extra thing in, and then I end up rushing, feeling angry at slower drivers, driving too fast, etc. So I am adding this to my list of things not to do for the next 30 days (now 28!).

Last thing... this morning my daughter surprised me by getting completely dressed, brushing her teeth and making her bed while I was meditating. This morning routine is something we normally struggle with -- a lot -- creating lots of stress in the morning. And today, she decided to surprise me as her ONE THING EVERY DAY to start the day with a better mood! Wow!