17. Gratitude Realized

Panama 2005. I carried that down a
mountain. On my back.

I once lived for a couple of months with a native tribe in the Panamanian jungle. This wasn't like a bones-through-the-nose-wearing-a-loin-cloth-that-reveals-a-little-too-much kind of tribe [anymore] but it was primitive. No electricity. No running water. They lived in thatched huts made from the materials they found in the jungle. While there I helped to dig new latrines. Our group climbed a mountain and gathered palm branches used to make the huts. We had to braid the branches together and carry them down the mountain on our backs. These people had, by our society's standards, nothing to be grateful for. They constantly had to work hard to survive, had little to eat, and pooped in an open hole in the ground. Yet even in those circumstances I found people who were genuinely happy - because they appreciated what they did have. I in my infinite wisdom forgot this lesson until today.

I've been feeling kind of down the last few days. Those who know me personally can attest that the last year of my life has been hellacious. Among other things, I've lost my job, had my emotions seriously messed with, been robbed of almost everything I owned, had my savings cleaned out, & have became a transient adventurer (translation : glorified hobo). The truth is, I kind of like that last part. But concerning the rest, I understandably have come through a little bit of depression which has been trying to resurface. Too often misfortune is all we allow ourselves to see. As such, today's gift is gratitude. It is needed now more than ever.

We tend to forget that happiness doesn't come as a result of getting some thing we don't have, but rather of recognizing & appreciating what we do have.                                                                    - Frederick Keonig, inventor

People generally have a greener-grass complex. We always want something else. Nothing we get is ever good enough once we have it despite the fact that we knew it was 'just what we needed.' We are unhappy, unsettled, and exponentially more selfish simply because we lack gratitude. We take for granted even the most basic of things. For Gift 17 I started a list of things that I am grateful for. My bad mood changed for the better as I did and I was reminded that all things pass and few things in life are as important as we think.

I challenge you to begin your own list. Here's a few selected things from my [long] list that really hit home, because I know how easily circumstances could be different. I'm thankful for:

• The fact that I'm not sleeping in my car tonight. And that I have a car to sleep if I need to.
• I have access to food everyday. More than I need.
• God's grace, even when I'm an idiot. Especially when I'm an idiot.
• My family.
• Losing most friends has revealed the true ones. I know who I can count on.
• Having gotten out of what I now know to be the worst situation I could have been in. Even if I didn't choose it.
• The ability to take college classes, and the knowledge that I won't always be amassing debt.
• I haven't missed a bill despite not having work in months.
• ......the ability to find happiness in all situations.

Think about it. What are you grateful for?