IX. On Gratitude
Gratitude is the thought.
“Don’t dream of what you don’t already possess. Instead, think about the great blessing you do have, for which you feel grateful — and remind yourself of how much they’d be missed if they weren’t already yours.” — Marcus Aurelius
Gratitude is the thought you get after looking at your life as if for the first time.
In your depths of being, you understand it would have all turned out different because you’ve lived enough to know that nothing is ever guaranteed.
You get to contemplate your friend’s or spouse’s actions, those of the gods, and the benevolence of the universe in orchestrating this harmonious moment — all the good abundant in it.
You soak in this weighty feeling and allow it to enhance your well-being.
However, the joy of gratitude doesn’t occur by chance.
That’s why it’s prudent to beware of busyness as it can trap you in a hedonic treadmill where you’re always working, always setting goals, always shopping.
But you’re never happy.
You think the next deal, paycheck, or lover will satisfy you but you feel emptier. Why? Because you’re yet to slow down and appreciate the life you have.
To feel gratitude is, therefore, to look at life like a poet, painter, or sculptor.
But since we can’t all be artists, it bids us to simulate loss in our minds. After all,
“Absence diminishes small loves and increases great ones, as the wind blows out the candle and fans the bonfire.” ― Francois Duc de la Rochefoucauld tells us.
Think of how sad you’d feel if you didn’t have a spouse to cuddle, look into their eyes, and express the love you feel for them without saying a word. How downcast you’d be if you won and didn’t have anyone special to call. If you didn’t have someone to accompany you to your favorite concert.