{"id":1691,"date":"2011-10-07T11:50:45","date_gmt":"2011-10-07T15:50:45","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.beliefnet.com\/mindfulnessmatters\/?p=1691"},"modified":"2011-10-07T13:01:26","modified_gmt":"2011-10-07T17:01:26","slug":"g-is-for-gratitude-mindfulness-and-the-gift-of-this-moment","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/mindfulnessmatters\/2011\/10\/g-is-for-gratitude-mindfulness-and-the-gift-of-this-moment.html","title":{"rendered":"G is for Gratitude: Mindfulness and the Gift of this Moment"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a>Before Buddhist\u2019s eat a meal they take a moment to acknowledge all the efforts by the countless beings that contributed to the possibility of this meal — the worms, farmers, pickers, truckers, grocery store clerks, even bacteria. This acknowledgement helps to inspire a sense of gratitude and overcome the pervasive tendency to take things for granted (\u201cI have this food because I paid for it.\u201d).<\/p>\n

We can move through our entire life with this sense of entitlement and, with it, get caught up in focusing on what we don\u2019t have, or what is not right. Gratitude takes nothing for granted. It\u2019s a miracle that we can do the things that we can do. To breathe, to walk, to love. We only tend to notice when something goes wrong. These breaches wake us out of the trance of entitlement.<\/p>\n

And still, that awakening can be into complaint. I\u2019ve injured my knee, so I could complain about how I can\u2019t do the things I usually do. Or, instead, I could reflect on all the unencumbered time that I enjoyed before the injury. I can realize it is not a right to walk but a wonderful happenstance. Once I have touched this gratitude, I can also reflect on the impermanence of this injury, and indeed, everything.<\/p>\n

Everything is changing all of the time and in ways that I can neither predict or control. I am about the same age as Steve Job’s when he was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. Life can change in an instant and over the long haul. Eventually my body will break down, so it behooves me to enjoy my mobility, health, and so forth while I have it. It behooves me to be grateful because gratitude helps to awaken me to what is happening in the moment. It helps to prevent me from sleepwalking through life.<\/p>\n

Gratitude is an antidote to cynicism. It\u2019s so easy to fall into the trap of negative thinking, after all, it\u2019s how we are wired. We don\u2019t need to practice negativity, yet, for many of us, we do need to practice<\/em> positivity. Gratitude is available in any moment to move us into a positive frame. What are you grateful for? Make a list, read it often, add to it often.<\/p>\n

For those of us with means living in the privileged developed world, there is so much to be grateful for. We don\u2019t have to struggle to survive. We have ample food, shelter. As individuals, we consume enough resources to sustain a small developing country. We live in a warped bubble of entitlement with cars, clothes, medicines, dining out, vacations and so forth. We are so immured to material that we lose sight of how little much of the rest of the world has. The fact that we moan and complain in the midst of all this materials wealth is, perhaps, a form of psychosis. We are removed from reality; out of touch with the way things are.<\/p>\n

So, if you are reading this, you are likely enjoying a high level of material wealth and privilege. This can, and perhaps should, blow your mind with gratitude. Today, I write on my MacBook Pro computer, listen to music streaming over the Internet and from my iTunes collection. After I have eaten all that I care to eat, I will take a hot shower, and select clothes from a large closetful of possibilities. I will drive my car from my secluded country home to my office where I will sit on comfortable furniture listening to my patients. I may go out to dinner afterwards or take in a movie. I do not live in a war zone; I do not suffer political oppression; I am not experiencing starvation; I am healthy, if a little gimpy; I make and spend ridiculous sums of money relative to most my planet mates living in Africa and Asia.<\/p>\n

During the meditation hour that I host at my office, I will have the opportunity to reflect on my fortune. I can be grateful for my material privilege and reflect on I am using this privilege \u2013 for good, for awakening?<\/p>\n

It\u2019s an amazing day to be alive. What a precious opportunity. I am grateful for this day. I could<\/em> generate a list of ten thousand complaints, but I choose to embrace the sun shining and the grace of this moment.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Before Buddhist\u2019s eat a meal they take a moment to acknowledge all the efforts by the countless beings that contributed to the possibility of this meal — the worms, farmers, pickers, truckers, grocery store clerks, even bacteria. This acknowledgement helps to inspire a sense of gratitude and overcome the pervasive tendency to take things for…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":268,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2,12,8,10],"tags":[258,127,257,21,26,259],"class_list":["post-1691","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-awake-at-work","category-buddha-101","category-mindful-living","category-spider-mind-world-of-interconnections","tag-buddhist-meal-chant","tag-gratitude","tag-materialism","tag-mindfulness","tag-poverty","tag-steve-jobs"],"yoast_head":"\nG is for Gratitude: Mindfulness and the Gift of this Moment - Mindfulness Matters<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/mindfulnessmatters\/2011\/10\/g-is-for-gratitude-mindfulness-and-the-gift-of-this-moment.html\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"G is for Gratitude: Mindfulness and the Gift of this Moment - Mindfulness Matters\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Before Buddhist\u2019s eat a meal they take a moment to acknowledge all the efforts by the countless beings that contributed to the possibility of this meal — the worms, farmers, pickers, truckers, grocery store clerks, even bacteria. This acknowledgement helps to inspire a sense of gratitude and overcome the pervasive tendency to take things for…\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/mindfulnessmatters\/2011\/10\/g-is-for-gratitude-mindfulness-and-the-gift-of-this-moment.html\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Mindfulness Matters\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2011-10-07T15:50:45+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2011-10-07T17:01:26+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"http:\/\/blog.beliefnet.com\/mindfulnessmatters\/files\/2011\/10\/BS13009-198x300.jpg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Dr. Arnie Kozak\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"G is for Gratitude: Mindfulness and the Gift of this Moment - Mindfulness Matters","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/mindfulnessmatters\/2011\/10\/g-is-for-gratitude-mindfulness-and-the-gift-of-this-moment.html","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"G is for Gratitude: Mindfulness and the Gift of this Moment - Mindfulness Matters","og_description":"Before Buddhist\u2019s eat a meal they take a moment to acknowledge all the efforts by the countless beings that contributed to the possibility of this meal — the worms, farmers, pickers, truckers, grocery store clerks, even bacteria. This acknowledgement helps to inspire a sense of gratitude and overcome the pervasive tendency to take things for…","og_url":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/mindfulnessmatters\/2011\/10\/g-is-for-gratitude-mindfulness-and-the-gift-of-this-moment.html","og_site_name":"Mindfulness Matters","article_published_time":"2011-10-07T15:50:45+00:00","article_modified_time":"2011-10-07T17:01:26+00:00","og_image":[{"url":"http:\/\/blog.beliefnet.com\/mindfulnessmatters\/files\/2011\/10\/BS13009-198x300.jpg"}],"author":"Dr. Arnie Kozak","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/mindfulnessmatters\/2011\/10\/g-is-for-gratitude-mindfulness-and-the-gift-of-this-moment.html","url":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/mindfulnessmatters\/2011\/10\/g-is-for-gratitude-mindfulness-and-the-gift-of-this-moment.html","name":"G is for Gratitude: Mindfulness and the Gift of this Moment - Mindfulness Matters","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/mindfulnessmatters\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/mindfulnessmatters\/2011\/10\/g-is-for-gratitude-mindfulness-and-the-gift-of-this-moment.html#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/mindfulnessmatters\/2011\/10\/g-is-for-gratitude-mindfulness-and-the-gift-of-this-moment.html#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"http:\/\/blog.beliefnet.com\/mindfulnessmatters\/files\/2011\/10\/BS13009-198x300.jpg","datePublished":"2011-10-07T15:50:45+00:00","dateModified":"2011-10-07T17:01:26+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/mindfulnessmatters\/#\/schema\/person\/5f92cf2ae15fbe04e74ca47527ac68d8"},"breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/mindfulnessmatters\/2011\/10\/g-is-for-gratitude-mindfulness-and-the-gift-of-this-moment.html#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/mindfulnessmatters\/2011\/10\/g-is-for-gratitude-mindfulness-and-the-gift-of-this-moment.html"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/mindfulnessmatters\/2011\/10\/g-is-for-gratitude-mindfulness-and-the-gift-of-this-moment.html#primaryimage","url":"http:\/\/blog.beliefnet.com\/mindfulnessmatters\/files\/2011\/10\/BS13009-198x300.jpg","contentUrl":"http:\/\/blog.beliefnet.com\/mindfulnessmatters\/files\/2011\/10\/BS13009-198x300.jpg"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/mindfulnessmatters\/2011\/10\/g-is-for-gratitude-mindfulness-and-the-gift-of-this-moment.html#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/mindfulnessmatters"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"G is for Gratitude: Mindfulness and the Gift of this Moment"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/mindfulnessmatters\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/mindfulnessmatters\/","name":"Mindfulness Matters","description":"Beliefnet Voices - Arnie Kozak","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/mindfulnessmatters\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/mindfulnessmatters\/#\/schema\/person\/5f92cf2ae15fbe04e74ca47527ac68d8","name":"Dr. Arnie Kozak","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/mindfulnessmatters\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/mindfulnessmatters\/wp-content\/wphb-cache\/gravatar\/6ab\/6abd6f3205265768510a13d66ac2aff7x96.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/mindfulnessmatters\/wp-content\/wphb-cache\/gravatar\/6ab\/6abd6f3205265768510a13d66ac2aff7x96.jpg","caption":"Dr. Arnie Kozak"},"description":"Recognized as an innovator in the field of mindfulness-based psychology, Dr. Arnie Kozak is northern New England's leading expert in the field. Dr. Kozak's ability to translate ancient healing traditions into pragmatic applications suitable for modern lifestyles through the use of metaphors have made him a strong voice in healthcare and business. Beginning with a journey to India in the 80\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s where he took the Bodhisattva vows from His Holiness the Dalai Lama, Arnie Dr. Kozak began his lifelong practice in mindfulness meditation. Intent on finding a way to bring the practical healing attributes of mindfulness he began incorporating these techniques in his private practice. In 2002 Dr. Kozak created Exquisite Mind in Burlington, Vermont as a vehicle that could expand his wisdom to larger audiences beyond individual psychotherapy to professionals and corporations, health care providers, public groups and, most recently with Exquisite Mind Golf, amateur and professional golfers. His award-winning new book, Wild Chickens and Petty Tyrants: 108 Metaphors for Mindfulness (Wisdom Publications, 2009) is a thoughtful, funny, and inspiring translation of mindfulness practice through the inventive use of metaphor applicable to our daily lives. In addition to his work with Exquisite Mind, Arnie Kozak, Ph.D., Licensed Psychologist\u00e2\u20ac\u201dDoctorate has been a Lecturer in Psychology at the University of Vermont and is a Clinical Instructor in Psychiatry and Medicine, University of Vermont College of Medicine. He has studied and practiced clinical psychology, meditation, and yoga for more than 25 years. He has studied with several meditation masters, including S. N. Goenka, Larry Rosenberg, Gurumayi Chidvilasananda, and His Holiness the Dalai Lama. After receiving his bachelors degree with honors from Tufts University, he was awarded a Presidential Fellowship to get his Ph.D. in clinical psychology from the University at Buffalo. He completed his training as a Psychological Fellow at the Harvard Medical School. Prior to founding the Exquisite Mind in 2002, Arnie worked ten years in the private sector for the PKC Corporation consulting on mental health content for this revolutionary software company.","sameAs":["http:\/\/exquisitemind.com"],"url":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/mindfulnessmatters\/author\/akozak"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/mindfulnessmatters\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1691","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/mindfulnessmatters\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/mindfulnessmatters\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/mindfulnessmatters\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/268"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/mindfulnessmatters\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1691"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/mindfulnessmatters\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1691\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1695,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/mindfulnessmatters\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1691\/revisions\/1695"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/mindfulnessmatters\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1691"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/mindfulnessmatters\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1691"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/mindfulnessmatters\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1691"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}