Despite the curmudgeonly tone my postings often take (nice passive voice there - the postings take the tone themselves - I cannot be blamed for it), I was thinking today after reading some quotes on gratitude that, in spite of the best efforts of most politicians and corporations, there is much for which we have to be thankful.

One of the quotes in particular struck me. Henry David Thoreau said: "I am grateful for what I am and have. My thanksgiving is perpetual... O how I laugh when I think of my vague indefinite riches.
No run on my bank can drain it for my wealth is not possession but enjoyment."

This extraordinary insight, by a man of simple means but uncommon wisdom and fortitude, should serve as a model for those of us who get a bit caught up in day-to-day matters. In building our personal mythologies of self-import, we lose track of those things which are truly vital.

I'll refrain from going too far overboard on all the things there are for which we should remember our gratitude. But I must share a few examples. They range from the mundane to the profound. Although our automobiles (and the manner in which we use them) are the source of many of our problems, I'm so very pleased to have vehicles which are dependable and comfortable, given that our current culture almost requires their employment in the business of our lives. I'm thankful for my job; even while I recognize that it is "another brick in the wall", something which keeps me tied into the destructive culture of industrial civilization, it allows me the luxury of supporting my (wholly unsustainable) lifestyle. I'm thankful that I'm able to feel the breeze on my skin as I go for my daily run. I'm grateful to hear the call of a red-tailed hawk. I'm thankful that I can see the majesty of a towering cumulus in the June sky. I'm grateful to taste the deliciousness of a nourishing meal, prepared with care. Daily, I remind myself that I'm grateful for all that I have, and all that I am. I just didn't know Thoreau was ahead of me on this, as well as most other matters.

Every day, not just once a year, let's remember to view the world through a prism of gratitude