Gratitude by Degrees

 There is a crack in everything. That’s how the light gets in.  Leonard Cohen

Think of a circle—all 360° degrees of it. Opening the circle up by just 1° is like the crack which lets the light in. If I think of gratitude as the Light, then I want to open that circle up more and more. If a little gratitude is enough to crack it open, then I want to apply more thanksgiving to see how wide an angle I can achieve.

Gratitude begets gratitude. When I concentrate on ‘all that is well with my soul’, I have no room for those things which can cause my joy to contract. Right now, as I look out my window, I see that the sky is gray and heavy, but in the same view, I see the glorious pink blooms of a tree celebrating Springtime. Which one will hold my focus? I can be aware that when I go out, the clouds tell me to take an umbrella. I don’t have to be sad that it will rain, or worried about getting wet. I plan for and deal with the dreary, while I notice and drink in the beauty which is also apparent when I’m aware enough to see it.

I close my circle by seeing the flowering tree and lamenting that the rain will probably just wash all the petals away. I open up my circle when I recognize that nothing stays the same—impermanence is a fact of life—and simply enjoy the beauty in This Moment.

Moment-by-moment, degree-by-degree, I will notice and appreciate all the Light which enters my circle.