Spirituality Essay:

That "Gratitude" Time of Year ( November 2005 )

November brings Thanksgiving . . . which focuses our attention on all the blessings in our life. Before going to bed, I try to bring to mind two moments in the day that I'm grateful for . . . either things that went well, or just moments I felt glad to be alive in and to enjoy.

As previously shared, I find that a heartfelt acknowledgement of the good things flowing into my life creates a consciousness that somehow winds up creating even better things in the future.

With Thanksgiving, we typically think of the "big" things in our life or society we're grateful for. This year, for the Interfaith Thanksgiving service, I'm choosing to honor Ten "Not- Usually-Noticed" Things that I'm grateful for.

Here's # 6: Belly Laughs. Humor is the best medicine, they say. But beyond that, the humor that really grabs you . . . .when you find yourself laughing so hard at something your body shakes, I find to be a specially delightful part of our incredible "gift" of being alive.

Confession: I love zany comedy, like Monty Python, Seinfeld, Will and Grace. I can even watch reruns I've already seen several times. I love the total release laughing at that stuff gives me; how wonderful to let go so fully and helplessly into mirth. I feel refreshed . . . uplifted even, perhaps.

I'm grateful for both the human artistry that created these shows, and the fact that I get so much pleasure from them.

I'm especially sensitive to the joys in my life and world this time of year . . . with the focusing of our attention and appreciation on the things that might slip by our awareness - all those things we possibly take for granted that make "being alive" the wondrous gift it is.

This is one in a series of essays on spirituality by Rick Childs, lay leader of the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of the Mendocino Coast. You may want to:
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