These are the first words we should utter every morning while still lying in bed. Our first conscious moments are spent thanking God for the gift of life. It doesn’t matter what we did yesterday or last night; it doesn’t matter how bad things are going – at that moment, we woke up. It is an exercise in Gratitude, recognizing that there is always something to be grateful for.
Imagine if we could live our lives with that notion at the forefront of our consciousness. If we think about it: How often do we really stop to give thanks for the life we have, and the world we inhabit? Have we had good things happen in our lives this year that have gone unacknowledged or uncelebrated?
The small, the expected, and even the regular and often-experienced good things in our lives are still deserving of recognition and gratitude! Ultimately, gratitude does not mean just uttering a polite thank you when someone confers a benefit. The goal is to do the work it takes to weave thankfulness deeply into the very fabric of our beings, permeating everything we do. It can literally change our lives to have an attitude of gratitude. Practicing gratitude is a form of Self-Care, one of our living values.
When we open ourselves up to gratitude, we see clearly and accurately how much good there is in life. Gratitude affirms. There are still those things we are lacking, and in reaching for gratitude no one is saying we ought to put on rose-colored glasses to obscure those shortcomings. But most of us tend to focus so heavily on the deficiencies in our lives that we barely perceive the good that counterbalances them. There is no limit to what we don’t have, and if that is where we focus then our lives are inevitably filled with endless dissatisfaction. This is the ethos that lies behind the great teaching of the Mishnah, which asks (Pirkei Avot 4:1), “Who is rich?” and then answers, “Those who rejoice in their own lot.”
When we live charged with gratitude, we will give thanks for anything or anyone who has benefited us, whether they meant to or not. Imagine a prayer of thanks springing to your lips when the driver in the car next to you lets you merge without protest, or when the water flows from the tap, or the food is adequate. When gratitude is well established like that, it is a sign of a heart that has been made right and whole. Gratitude can’t coexist with arrogance, resentment, and selfishness. Rebbe Nachman of Breslov wrote, “Gratitude rejoices with her sister joy and is always ready to light a candle and have a party. Gratitude doesn’t much like the old cronies of boredom, despair and taking life for granted” (quoted in Everyday Holiness: The Jewish Spiritual Path of Mussar by Alan Morinis).
Imagine entering the coming New Year acknowledging all the good and blessing in our lives. Imagine the peace, joy, and happiness that could be found. Imagine putting more energy into thanking than into anger. Imagine focusing and celebrating the good and relegating difficulty to the realm of the small, the expected, and the mundane. It can be a better year.
Shanah Tovah!
Rabbi Scott Nagel
The Sophia and Nathan Gumenick Senior Rabbi
Congregation Beth Ahabah
