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Gratitude, the Gift  that Keeps on Giving

Gratitude, the Gift that Keeps on Giving

“If the only prayer you say in your life is, `Thank you,’ that would suffice.”

— Meister Eckhart

`Tis the season to be grateful. … It may be difficult to remember to be grateful, and that it is not just a seasonal thing, heavily corrupted by merchandising. At least, it does provide us with a teachable moment.

In these tough times, it may be difficult to remember to be grateful for what we have instead of anguishing over what we don’t have.

Try this reality check: Do you have a roof over your head? A bed to sleep in? Food in a refrigerator? Indoor plumbing? Electricity? Clean water to drink? A car? An education?
Compared to the rest of the world, you are fabulously wealthy – and lucky. See how many things you can find to be thankful for during this brief song:

Why us? Why are we so privileged to live in the most prosperous country in the world? Life’s a lot tougher in Bangladesh or Somalia.

And why we are blessed with freedom? Long before we were born, patriots fought and died for the fundamental freedoms we enjoy today. It’s not like we did anything. We just inherited the benefit of their sacrifice.

We should rejoice in gratitude for our lucky circumstances.

So why are we so busy complaining about what we don’t have, and not appreciating what we do have (unless you count jealously hoarding what you’ve got with no willingness to share as “appreciation”).

Acquiring an Attitude of Gratitude

Many of us operate on an obsessive consumerism with the philosophy that, “He who dies with the most toys wins.” What kind of game are we playing. “Greed is Good,” goes the philosophy that has infected the world since time immemorial, even before it became the motto of American business in the middle of the last century. And if you find that you seldom take the time to feel appreciation and gratefulness for things in your life, perhaps you have contracted a case of this affluenza yourself! If so you may find yourself complaining about what you don’t have, feeling envy of others who appear to have more, or jealously guarding what you have instead of sharing it.

Are you constantly on the lookout for how to get more? When will we ever learn that more is never enough?

Was it a surprise to you when, after receiving a huge helping of corporate welfare in the form of bailout funds, the robber barons whose policies had led us to the brink of disaster voted themselves million dollar bonuses? Check your DQ – your Denial Quotient.

And isn’t the health care debate that has gridlocked Congress really about power and money? Recently, Lily Tomlin reprised her Earnestine role as a heartless “service” representative on the phone. This time she blows off a patient: “We’re an insurance company. Your health care is our business, not our concern.”Watch the video here: Ernestine for CaliforniaOneCare.org

And during recent climate change summit in Copenhagen, representatives of developing countries protested that First World nations – rather than reducing their carbon footprints – seem comfortable with allowing a 2-degree rise in global temperature. Are we really that greedy that we would allow the disappearance of some island states and “certain death” for much of Africa?

Despite overwhelming evidence that we are blessed with so much, too many of us feel strangely entitled to what we have – and are markedly lacking in compassion for those who are less lucky.

Though you will not hear them from some of today’s most visible and influential Christians, the Bible contains more than 300 verses on the poor, social justice, and God’s deep concern for both. Consider:

Deut. 15:7. If there is a poor man among you, one of your brothers . . . you shall not harden your heart . . . but you shall freely open your hand to him, and generously lend him sufficient for his need in whatever he lacks.

Luke 3:11. And [John the Baptist] would answer and say to them, “Let the man with two tunics share with him who has none, and let him who has food do likewise.”

How can I be grateful when I have lost so much?

A man’s home was burgled. “Are you not sad?” he was asked. “No,” he replied, “I am feeling grateful – for three reasons. The first is that, although they took a great deal, they did not take everything. Secondly, though they took my possessions, I was not harmed. Thirdly, I am most grateful that it was they who stole, and not I.” (I try to emulate the fellow in this story, and though I have not equaled his equanimity, I am getting better.)

Corporate robber barons have run amok, often legally. People have lost their life savings, their homes, their cars, their jobs – and more. We have all been the victims to one degree or another, and it may seem difficult to be grateful in the face of such personal disasters – but strangely enough, that’s when we need gratitude the most. This is when we most need the willingness to open ourselves fully to the knowledge that there are things that are more important than our own emotional reactions and collection of possessions.

In fact, many times, it takes the shock of losing what we think is important to realize what is actually important. But we will never discover that which is of greater value if we are immersed in feeling sorry for ourselves.

The hardest arithmetic to master is that which enables us to count our blessings. –Eric Hoffer

All Pervasive Gratitude

To get the most out of life, perhaps, it might be a wise move to endeavor to develop a kind of all-pervasive gratitude – a New Paradigm kind of gratefulness – one that sees an opportunity for gratitude everywhere, in every flower, in every movement, and every sound, in everything. Grateful to be. Grateful to experience love. To appreciate the incredible richness of the world with deep respect – indeed, with awe – and in appreciation of something greater than self, a sense of reverence for humanity.

And if you are fortunate enough to have people in your life that love you, then gratitude is clearly in order. As Albert Schweitzer reminded us, “At times our own light goes out and is rekindled by a spark from another person. Each of us has cause to think with deep gratitude of those who have lighted the flame within us.”

There is always something to be thankful for, if you take time to look for it. For example, I am sitting here thinking how nice it is that wrinkles don’t hurt!

How can I begin?

Simply start with the intention to feel gratitude. Don’t stand around waiting for it to happen, intend it! Remember, your feelings are behaviors, they belong to you, and you can choose, intentionally to guide your thoughts to focus upon those things that awaken your ability to feel grateful for your gifts.

Right now, allow yourself to be willing to actually give yourself the time to feel how wonderfully good it feels, taking a deep breath . . . Now . . . breathing in a full, rich inspiration . . . letting that breath inspire every cell of your brain . . . and every organ of your body . . . and realize that feeling gratitude is feeling love . . . and is a blessing of infinite magnitude.

Here is a brief video clip to help awaken appreciation and gratitude:From service dog to SURFice dog

Maybe at the end of our lives we can leave behind a message similar to that of Charlie Mechem, former head of Taft Broadcasting. Charlie wished that this might be put on his tombstone: “Dear God, Thanks for letting me visit. I had a wonderful time.”

So be well, enjoy this holiday season and remember that one of the very best ways to express gratitude is to give. O. Henry’s classic short story “The Gift of the Magi” reminds us this in a most profound way.  Here it is retold again in an animated short: The Gift of the Magi

Gratitude, the Gift  that Keeps on Giving

What is Your Illness Telling You?

Health&WellnessEnt1
How To Decode Your Body’s Messages

Q: Can your health be affected by your self-image, beliefs, and expectations?

A: Absolutely! In my book, Deep Healing: The Essence of Mind/Body Medicine, I not only explains why this is true, but conversely how your body can tell you some things about your innermost feelings and thoughts you didn’t know.

Most of us know that traumatic experiences in our lives can affect our health. We have probably had the experience of getting sick to our stomachs during or after an upsetting event, or getting a bad cold or the flu following a traumatic emotional loss. But just as our minds can send out messages that have a negative impact on our bodies, the very power to do that suggests the exact opposite: that perhaps our minds can also have a positive influence on our health.

If this is true, then we need to honestly examine the beliefs and attitudes that might be affecting our health. Conversely we need to take a fearless look at our chronic health problems and see what they are telling us about ourselves. As Woody Allen said in Annie Hall,  “I don’t get angry — I grow a tumor.” Perhaps his statement was more than just humor.

Self-Survey Questions
Here are some questions that are intended as guidelines to focus your attention on issues that affect the mind-body. For optimal results, you can continue to ask them as you go about your daily life. You may find that these questions help you take charge of your health in ways you may have once thought impossible.

1.     Have you noticed if you get more colds when you are depressed, under great pressure, or are feeling angry at someone in your life?

2.    Has a physician or friend ever told you that if you don’t slow down, you’re going to have a heart attack? Has anyone recently told you to “take time to smell the roses?”

3.     How is the health of those you modeled your life upon (i.e., mother, father)?

4.     Beliefs such as your drive for success, power or recognition, guide the path of your life. Is the drive for material wealth such an overriding belief that you take no time for your family, personal recreation, or doing something really good for yourself?

5.     Do you see these kinds or correlations in others ?

6.     Do you get headaches, stomach pain, tight jaw or hold your breath when you feel tense? Do you experience these symptoms before an important meeting or before making a decision?

7.     Does your stomach or intestine cramp or act up at certain emotional times? For instance, do you experience an increase in stomach pains when faced with criticism from authority figures?

8.     Do you have loose bowels, constipation, or frequent urination at times of fear and sadness?

9.     Is there a lack of religious, ethical, or spiritual beliefs to guide you in your life and give you a sense of purpose?

10.     Do you tend to develop throat, thyroid, or respiratory problems when you are anticipating an important dialogue, or are preparing a public presentation?

11.     Do you injure your back or develop pain/spasm because of the pressure you put on yourself?

12.     Do your allergies worsen at times when you feel defensive? Or, when you are unable to express anger towards others?

13.     Do you have a skin rash or irritation that worsens when you are embarrassed or nervous or when you get too close in a relationship?

14.    Do you have asthma attacks more often when you are  feeling anxious?

If you answered “yes” to one or more of these questions, you can begin to see that the relationship between the body and the mind is indeed very complex and interesting. Of course, the emotional component is only one aspect of a chronic disease. There are genetic, environmental, and nutritional aspects to each type of illness. Previous injury or infection, the use of drugs, and exposure to chemicals can determine which organs become involved, but the psychological environment sets the stage by strengthening or weakening the immune system.

Emotions & Immunity

Your immune system is responsible for the constant surveillance of your health. This amazingly complex system is able to detect the tiniest bits of foreign material or invaders that might be a threat to your health. In the case of a virus or bacterium, your immune system identifies what kinds they are and then synthesizes substances to eliminate them or render them benign. However, as a result of stress, your immune system can become overloaded and unbalanced, becoming less effective. While this explanation oversimplifies how and why the system malfunctions, it does provide us with a good picture of the process.

In many ways, the immune system is dependent on the central nervous system for its proper functioning. This is how your thoughts, feelings and beliefs play a role in your immune functions. When you experience high levels of stress, for instance, the immune system may be thrown out of balance. The study of the relationship between stress and the immune system has given rise to an entire field of medicine known as psychoneuroimmunology.

Twenty-five years ago, Miller set himself upon the daunting task of awakening the medical community to preventive healing methods which used no drugs or surgery, but which changed the immune system through directly changing the mind and its habitual pictures. By examining immune cells during a variety of mental states, the medical community has begun to see that medicine and psychology are two sides of the same coin.

The specifics of how these immune responses actually work is so complex that only a team of doctors could explain it to you in detail, but the essence of it can be boiled down into four basic types of “messages.” When the immune system overreacts it can lead to 1. allergies (external) or 2. autoimmune disease (internal). When it underreacts, it can lead to 3. repeated infection (external) or 4. to cancerous tumors (internal).

UNDERREACTION (EXTERNAL)
If the immune system fails to detect foreign invaders or doesn’t mount a strong enough defense against them, this is underreaction, and can lead to our getting repeated and acute and chronic infections. This helps to explain why when individuals are under severe stress, some experience increased numbers of colds, yeast infections, flare-ups of herpes, some kind of sinus infections, or other conditions caused by microorganisms. Which organs become involved depends on a variety of factors such as genetics, nutrition, exposure, drugs, chemicals, and prior injury or infection, as mentioned earlier.

UNDERREACTION (INTERNAL)

When the immune system underreacts to internally generated factors, it fails to rid the body of abnormal cells and cellular waste. Often these are mutant cells that function ineffectively, and could become cancer cells if allowed to multiply. Immune cells are ordinarily capable of identifying and destroying them. When your immune system fails to identify or destroy such abnormal cells, it can lead to serious disease, such as cancer.

OVERREACTION (INTERNAL)
When the immune system overreacts to the internal environment, it can produce what we call “autoimmune” disease, such as multiple sclerosis, rheumatoid arthritis or lupus erythematosus. A chief characteristic of most autoimmune diseases is that antibodies are produced that attack normal healthy cells. Often, these “friendly-fire” antibodies aim their attacks against specific cells — the cells lining the joints, the kidney, or blood vessels, for instance.

OVERREACTION (EXTERNAL)
On the other hand, an overreaction of the immune system to external agents can lead to the development of allergic reactions. An allergic reaction happens when your immune system reacts to substances that are not a threat to your health. Histamine is produced by the healthy immune system to isolate areas of the body that have been attacked by harmful chemicals and microorganisms. It does this by creating swelling and inflammation. An overreacting immune system might produce histamine in response to a harmless substance; grass pollen, goldenrod, etc.