Gratitude in a Sentence
My take and experience of an attitude of gratitude
If I have to sum up gratitude in a sentence, I’ll have to use one of my favorite quotes on gratitude. It comes from Wallace D Wattle’s classic manifesto Science of Getting Rich.
In the chapter on gratitude, he says:
“Because all things have contributed to your advancement, you should include all things in your gratitude.”
As we celebrate Thanksgiving in the United States, I decided to share this story from my book, Life: It’s a Trip (Available on Amazon), about how I woke up one winter night in my Mobile Domicile and felt gratitude for Life.
The Warmth of Winter
This has been a colder than usual winter. I woke up around 2:00 A.M. and looked at the weather app on my smartphone. It informed me that it was 29° F outside, and I am in San Antonio, TX.
But I was warm and comfy inside my sleeping bag while sleeping in my Kia Sedona van, AKA, my Mobile Domicile, parked at the local Wal-Mart.
Suddenly, I was overtaken by a sense of gratitude. I was grateful for everything I had. Then I felt a sense of gratitude for the people who made the sleeping bag that I was enjoying sleeping in. I felt gratitude for the people who built the factory that the sleeping bag was made in, the people who made the machines that were used at the factory, and the people who invented the machines.
Before I knew it, I was thanking people I have never met, and I never will meet; people, who had lived long before I was born, but whose lives contributed to things that are making my life easier today.
I had heard and read about gratitude and how being grateful makes your life more meaningful.
Wallace D Wattles said, “Because all things have contributed to your advancement, you should include all things in your gratitude.”
So, I did.
And it felt good. It felt comforting to know that so many people have contributed to making my life what it is today. It also felt good knowing that I have had an impact on the world that I have been living in. My being here and doing the things I do are providing support to others. Just like I am being supported by people I may never know, others whom I may never know are being supported by my actions and the way I live my life in ways I may never know or realize, but it gives me a sense of value, a sense of belonging, a sense of purpose.
Suddenly, my life had more meaning than I had ever imagined.
I know my friends have told me that they want to read my book, and that’s what friends do. But, just as I have found value, guidance, inspiration, and motivation from reading books, I hope that my words may provide the same to others.
The Qur’an teaches us that the best way to serve God is to serve His creation. I feel humbled and grateful for having the opportunity to serve. I strive for higher service by honoring my Divine Self.
“You can render to God and humanity no greater service than to make the most of yourself.”
~ Wallace Wattles
My life has been a continuous journey of self-development and self-growth. I intend to continue on this journey, and I intend to continue inspiring others to do the same.
I am a self-proclaimed weirdo, Jack of Many Trades, Master of Some — Writing, Photography, and Public Speaking. I live a Nomadic, Freedom Lifestyle, and write about related topics — Travel, Personal Growth, and entrepreneurship. (Join the Tribe)
“You can let others tell you what it means to be successful, or you can decide it for yourself.”
