The more we learn, the more we realise the less we know. As we explore the great unknown we begin to become aware that there is much that we do not know that we not know. Our willingness to change, and our willingness to learn begin to be questioned.
We start the transition from How to Do something to Why are we Doing It, and seek the feeling we are pursuing. Our lives are driven by our pursuit of a feeling. Many are unaware and think it is stuff they seek.
Gratitude is an easy word to say, harder to practice and can take a lifetime to comprehend. As the saying goes, it takes five minutes to learn and a lifetime to master. Gratitude and developing an Attitude of Gratitude as Dr John DeMartini expresses it is a lifetime affair. Where is always bigger, better, more subtle, more compassionate ways to express gratitude.
Last night I finished reading Boots to Bliss by a woman I admire greatly, Claude Tranchant (www.bootstobliss.com). Claude walked 2500 klm along the St James Way from France to Spain. Her approach to gratitude was real, honest and a valuable lesson. As I was reading I was captivated by the continual lessons presented, not only on gratitude.
It was like having:
The Way of the Peaceful Warrior
The Magicians Way
The Law of Success in Sixteen Lessons
Think and Grow Rich
How to Win Friends and Influence People
Jonathan Livingstone Seagull
Illusions
Celestine Prophesy and the Alchemist all rolled into one real story lived by a real person.
Gratitude is an art to be practiced on a daily basis, at times a minute to minute basis as we come up against those people who choose to express the negative side of themselves.
Gratitude is the way to wake each morning. As our eyes open to the new day take a moment to say Thank You. Find something to be Grateful for, something to appreciate and find value in. Look for the gold in the coming day and your life.
Throughout the day practice Thank You. Find a reason to appreciate the things in your life. Our life is governed by our perceptions, which are either full of gratitude or lacking in gratitude.
At night take a few minutes to express gratitude and Thank-fullness the day being left, and the night and day ahead.
Claude discusses this beautifully in Boots to Bliss. It is wonderful reminder, or for some a wake up call to appreciate the joys and small or large wins we experience each and every day. Earlier this year I was sitting with a dying friend in a palliative unit when an angel walked into the room, her presence was calm, reassuring and humble. She spoke quietly, lovingly and with compassion, as an angel would. As we embraced I came to experience the joy of a Claude Tranchant embrace. It reaches into your heart in a reassuring way. She lives, breathes and exudes compassion and gratitude. It was a gentle, yet powerful lesson I am grateful to have experienced.
Clause walks her talk, the Camino taught her much for which I am grateful as she is now sharing her journey with others.
There is a little of Claude in us all, the difference is she walked the way of the saint, the shaman’s journey, most of us live lives of quiet desperation. Most of us would rather pass quietly from this world, cradled in our limitations and fears than challenge the false daemons of our minds and liberate our souls.
Many amongst us live with big brains and small hearts, unwilling to challenge the status quo, step out and be the change we wish to see in the world.
Great change comes from small steps, the first being an Attitude of Gratitude, depression, anxiety and many other stressors begin to loosen their hold when we look through the eyes of love, appreciation and gratitude.
If the Pope is looking for a new Saint he need look no further than Brisbane, Australia, for Claude has every right to hold that honoured mantle. Thank you my friend, In world seeking the darkness you hold a flame for those seeking the light.
Merci. Dieu vous bиnisse
