Shifting to Gratitude

​This image is my kids sitting on some rocks in Acadia National Park this past summer. It was after a screen-free day -- hiking, trying to find the perfect walking sticks, having contests for who could balance on a bumpy rock wall the longest without falling, and skipping stones. Simple pleasures. Seeing them sit by the water together doing nothing but look and breathe fresh air made me feel happy and grateful. It was a special moment. But can I feel grateful all the time?
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Yogi Bhajan said, "The attitude of gratitude is the highest truth." I think he said that it's the highest because it can be the hardest. It's not automatic to shift into gratitude and count your blessings when you're overwhelmed by negativity. Although it's not in our best interest, we can feel drawn into the darkness. Darkness can be enticing in its way. But we can try to shift. We can wake up every morning with gratitude for a new day. We can list the gifts in our lives every night before we go to sleep. We can have an intention of gratitude, if not a consistent attitude of gratitude. 

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