A deeper gratitude

For most of us, it's easy to feel gratitude when things go smoothly in our life. We are grateful when someone we love gets well after an extended illness. We're grateful when we arrive safely at our destination after a long and difficult trip. We're thankful when the medical diagnosis is a good one.

In addition, we can even feel grateful for what difficult experiences in our past have meant for our growth and transformation. I know that things in my life such as my divorce and my job loss and other disappointments have made me who I am. And so I'm grateful and would not remove those experiences from my life if I could.

There's a deeper gratitude, however, that Deepak Chopra speaks about. As he says, "This expanded sense of gratitude rejoices in life exactly as it is, right now ... life is perfect in spite of its imperfections. We find ourselves grateful to simply breathe and greet the sunrise. We feel privileged to engage in the full range of human experiences: busy traffic, strong coffee, and missing a loved one." He says we can appreciate life just as it is.

I want to remember that when I get ready to complain about snarled traffic. Or rain when I don't want rain. Or any of life's inconveniences. I really want to rejoice in life "exactly as it is, right now." I want to remember to be grateful "to simply breathe and greet the sunrise." How about you? Do you already experience that deeper level of gratitude?