Art of Gratitude

Try to be grateful on command. What comes out is polite and a little stiff.

Gratitude arises with your full attention. And a gift doesn't need to come first.

Take a single breath. For this breath to happen, the sun had to burn for billions of years, invisible green life in the ocean had to make the air breathable, and people who are long gone had to grow, cook, and carry what eventually became your body. All of it gathers here, in this place, just so this moment can be as it is.

A flower on the table holds the same history. It holds the rain, soil, a bee's errand, and a season of waiting. Seen whole, it is a miracle that needs no reply.

When I paint a single flower, the brush slows until only looking remains.

Ingratitude is simply a word for not paying attention. Attention is how the world thanks itself.