LOCKDOWN-D/2- GIVING & RECEIVING

LOCK-DOWN DAY-2 : Thursday ( 26th March 2020)

When we can give fully of our self, while being detached from an outcome or expectation of being given to in return, we open our self to the full abundance and love of the universe.

“I find that the more willing I am to be grateful for the small things in life, the bigger stuff just seems to show up from unexpected sources, and I am constantly looking forward to each day with all the surprises that keep coming my way.” –Louise L. Hay

During this COVID-19 lock-down times, philosophers and sages from every spiritual tradition have taught that the key to experiencing deeper levels of happiness, fulfillment, and well-being is cultivating gratitude. One of the earliest advocates of a daily gratitude practice was Dutch philosopher Rabbi Baruch Spinoza. In the seventeenth century, he suggested that each day for a month, we ask ourselves the following three questions:

 1. Who or what inspired me today?

2. What brought me happiness today?

3. What brought me comfort and deep peace today?

This practice, wrote Spinoza, would help us find more meaning and joy in our lives and would lead to profound inner transformation. When our attention is focused on appreciation, the ego moves out of the way. 

Throughout the day, notice the many things for which we are grateful . . . nurturing relationships, material comforts, the body that allows us to experience the world, the mind that allows us to really understand yourself, and our essential spiritual nature. Breathe, pause, and be grateful for the air that is filling your lungs and making your life possible. 

Throughout the day, notice the many things for which we are grateful . . . nurturing relationships, material comforts, the body that allows you to experience the world, the mind that allows you to really understand yourself, and your essential spiritual nature. Breathe, pause, and be grateful for the air that is filling your lungs and making your life possible. 

We must learn how to press pause and reflect on what we are grateful for. It is not good enough to say that we are too busy to be grateful.

If we do not press pause, how many beautiful moments of our life are we missing?

The ways to start practicing gratitude are: to recognise the good that has been unto us and say 'thank you'; to remember the good and mean it. and to reciprocate through actions of giving back and live by the same values.

Gratitude is not merely an emotion: it is a way of life which can be learnt and practiced. We must prioritize the time to practice gratitude , and one of the many ways to do it is by writing a gratitude log daily.

Ravendu. Kasnara

COVID-19 - Lockdown Day-2