Speaking of Gratitude

We are born into this world without asking for it. We are fed and nursed from the first day of life, without asking for it. The earth abounds in plant and animal life, in rivers, in rocks, in seas, in mountains, all of which exist without us having to ask for them or pay for them. Our very life here is a gift to us. We have not really done anything to deserve it. And yet, existence or God has decided to give it to us. Our life here is one great adventure, one great picnic, from birth to death, and when we go, we are free. Whatever we have done her, whatever we owe another, whatever sins we might have committed, whatever hurt or injury we have caused another, whatever problems others face because of us, whatever we have done---all that gets nullified, at least for us—in a moment’s time, when we die. So, this game of life, in which we are the participants, is a lovely game, where whatever you do, at the end, the score is always zero. Your balance sheet is perfectly balanced and in ship shape, when you leave.

For all that have been given to us—our parents, our siblings, relatives, friends, colleagues, children, our assets, our good and bad attributes, the air that nourishes us every minute, the food and water that keeps us going, the least we can do for all these things, is say thanks and have gratitude. When we don’t have gratitude, when we take things for granted, existence has strange ways of sending us tough lessons, to make us more humble, more grounded, more humane, and lessons to make us realize that life is a gift, not something we have earned or something we deserve. We need to keep the gratitude thought constantly uppermost in our minds, and if we do that, we are vibrating at a very good frequency, and you will see that existence responds with more goodness and happiness. If you lack gratitude, you will be forced into circumstances and situations where you will be made to feel thankful for what you have.
This book is a collection of 50 awesome quotes on gratitude. A common thread running through all these quotes is that if we are to find happiness, if we are to find joy, bliss, harmony, peace and love, we need to show gratitude. We may not show anything else, we may not have any other good quality, so to speak, but if we have gratitude, that is enough to see us through this life. It is hoped that the reader will get a feel of gratitude and its importance after reading the book, and will start practicing gratitude from today, and will suddenly see his life changing dramatically, for the good.