It irritates me when I'm reminded to be appreciative for what we have: when someone tells me I shouldn't forget to be grateful. It's at odds with our era's emphasis on never-ending desire and striving. the thought of pausing to reflect on what has gone well, to be content with many things as they are - this feels odd and frightening, like some kind of losers' cancellation - or the consolation prize But, in reality, there is so much that if we learnt it all, we'd be dead by the end of the day.
The summer night sky, the taste of cool milk, old brick walls, lonely railway stations, and the presence of our spouses beside us in the silence of dawn are all things we will remember to treasure. We are ungrateful for a variety of reasons, one of which is a fear of embracing what we have, as if pausing to enjoy things as they are would make us soft, complacent, and unable to take on new challenges.
Anxiety now appears to be more natural. It's been with us since the beginning. But, in the end, being unsatisfied all of the time, focusing on everything that has gone wrong and obsessing over our humiliations and rejections is neither noble nor sensible. There isn't much more bravery and skill in being able to recognise a hopeful perspective: in learning how to train and keep our eyes on what's mostly okay.
The thought of our own death: how soon and unexpectedly it may come, and how much we'll miss about life when it does, is what can best help us in this strangely - strangely - strangely - strangely - strangely - strangely - strangely - strangely - strangely - strangely - strangely - strangely - strangely - strangely - strangely - Our failure to keep the purity and drama of this constructively morbid revelation - which would strike us at least once a day - and to put it to powerful use in the regular course of life, undermines us on a daily basis.
When we begin to appraise our lives with a better sense of all our modest but substantial benefits - and with a truthful, humble acknowledgment of all we have to lose - and will one day - gratitude is the dividend owed to us.