When are you are simply grateful to life

Despite of everything, how tough life can be, how hurtful people are, and how often I am hard on myself. I learnt to be grateful. I am not the best in everything, I am not where I want to be in life, I am not the best version of myself, but I learnt to be grateful. But why? and why not? In the past, I used to constantly feel and have thoughts of all the above, so I asked myself why should I be grateful anyway! I lived with this approach for a quiet sometime, but then I decided to rethink life because obviously my approach was unfair.

It never made me comfortable with myself nor satisfied. I even used to think that I should not be grateful for the money I earn because I thought that money is only away to increase my sufferings, with how I spend it, how I save it and how less or much it is. Money made me overthink, I was never grateful. One day, I had enough money, so I decided to give it to someone to help him. I was surprised by how this money changed them and their kids. She signed them in a school, bought them new clothes, new shoes, and the food they love. Her voice tone changed 180 degrees from sadness to happiness.

I was ungrateful, but she was not. First step was shifting my thinking about how I see things. And what about the tough life we are living? I learnt to accept. Everyone on earth suffer. All at the same rate from the richest to the poorest, and from the most successful to the laziest. We all equally suffer and face challenges on a daily basis. There is No way we could change this about life. But to balance it out you have at least one or two thing great. And if we don’t accept nor be grateful for the good things we have we will only be added more weight on our shoulders.

Once I asked myself does being ungrateful make me arrogant? I could not replay directly but If thought to myself if I see at least one thing in my life that is great and still be ungrateful what does this make me? Arrogant, greedy? Think of the good things in your life, why are you ungrateful while you have all them. Next step was thinking of the bad things, the ones who cause pain in the soul and in mind. Well, I used to be ungrateful but now I am not. Because everything work in a harmony to make you the person you are today, even if bad thing happened today, you will be grateful for it later, because it showed you the truth, it made you work towards something bigger, or it made you sure of how true your feelings are.

Even if doesn’t work in your favour, even if it only exists just to cause you pain, ask yourself does being ungrateful help? Gratitude is the only quality in us, that ,gives us everything ,and keeps our life moving happily and peacefully. Without expressing and feeling gratitude for what we have, what we get,and what we are, there would be discontent, frustration, anger, hate and lot of bitterness. God gives us, inner capabilities and resources and also provides opportunities,commensurate with our potentials. But if we are ungrateful we interfere with the overall plan that has been drawn out for us ,and sabotage everything and struggle with life. We can easily do things and grow when we identify our capabilities grab the opportunities and gratefully accept everything that is meant for us and given to us The scriptures says. In all things give thanks ,and be grateful for this is the plan of God for you.

During my student days six of us went on a scooter ride on the the highway for a joy ride on a Sunday. We got hungry and after long time passing many villages we stopped at a small roadside village hotel. One of the guys waned dosa badly and we ordered dosa. The hotel guy did not have dosa, but only idly and vada. This guy got furious and started to rake up a heated argument with the hotel guy ,why dosa was not there.The hotel man explained that its late for dosa which they close early, and only idli vada was readily there. We and other guys did not mind it and were happy that at-least something is there.

But this guy aggravated the situation so much that the hotel guy asked us to get lost immediately.We all left in a huff because of this one ungrateful guy .There was no hotel for the next 15 km,and we landed up grabbing some village pakoda in a wayside shanty. If this guy was grateful for what was there ,and felt thankful ,instead of getting frustrated over for what is not there ,we would all have had great idlis and vada ,and also not lost the tempers and bitterness. Not being grateful for what is available ,and desiring for what is not available is insulting the will of God for you at that moment. You will not get anything more.

Most of our problems, situations and issues can be raced to ungratefulness.We need to be graceful ,dignified ,and grateful ,in accepting what is meant for us and the more we honour our creator for all the gifts and blessings showered on us ,with gratitude ,more and more keeps coming that gratitude is the law of life. I have never stopped traffic with exquisite charm or immaculate machismo. However. I can strike up a conversation with a total stranger and make her like me in minutes. Or seconds. I do fine.

I have been cheated on. I have been lied to. I have been exploited. Hey, I have cheated too. I lie and I manipulate. I am selfish at times. I seek attention. I get cranky when I do not get what I want. My love is masqueraded. Under selfishness, greed, lust, power, and control. Inhumane, at times. I live in a country where Lamborghinis and Ferraris decorate the flossy roads frequently. I have walked between towers wondering if they actually touch the blue sky. But hey, I have never had riches in life. I do fine. I teach English and I have seen worse-placed trainers. I do fine. I go through bouts of clinical depression and anxiety often. I have tried pulling the plug. A few times. But hey, I have never been to the extremes. I have seen extremes. I have never had it that hard. I do not have a life-threatening illness. I do fine.

I never lived during the times of Jesus. Or Gandhi. Or Einstein. I have never felt how it would be to have lived during the times of these monumental people. Humans. But hey, I have lived in the time of Abdul Kalam. I have walked the surface of the earth when Stephen Hawking breathed. I have seen Nelson Mandela. I have been living with legends. The greats. I have seen healers. I see healers of the world. Look around. You have living legends. You have Titans. In all their glorious faults and failures, angels live among us. Flawed yet flapping their wings. I am fortunate to have lived among the giants. I know that the future will sing tales of these giants. People will sing praises. The words of today will become the scripture of tomorrow. I have walked with giants. I walk with giants. Giants of my time. I am alive when history is in the making. Cheers!