Gratitude is about learning to see good things that support our lives that we previously didn’t notice. When we see that something has been ‘given’ or ‘gifted’ to us, we feel grateful. Seeing the good things that have been given to us often makes us feel like we want to give in turn. Gratitude fuels generosity.
Have you ever thought about what makes our air breathable? Have you ever thought about what makes it possible for us to live here on planet earth? The planets Mars and Venus are our two nearest neighbours but we wouldn’t be able to survive on them for longer than a few minutes because there is not enough oxygen in the air.
Three billion years ago the air on earth had much more carbon dioxide and very little oxygen. Over the next two billion years early plant life made the air breathable by adding oxygen and removing carbon dioxide. Without plants we humans could not live. They provide food and clean air which nourishes our bodies.
Try
With this knowledge in mind, try looking at a tree and notice if it changes your perception of that tree. What do you notice arising within you in response?
Conversation
When you look at plants in this way how does it make you feel? Can you sense any gratitude and appreciation for the work that they do? How might you express this gratitude? Does this knowledge make you want to give back to the plants that support us?
What other processes support our lives that we normally overlook? What do we learn from this?