Days of PURPOSEFUL Thankfulness – Day #21

Note: Refer to day number 1 (July 25, 2015 post) if you don’t know what this is all about.ner

We’ve been talking about “needs” that have been provided for us for the past 20 days, not “wants” but needs. Hopefully we’ve been able to elevate our minds in being more conscious of those needs that have been provided and become more thankful for them. As I’ve been saying, it’s so easy to just take those provided needs for granted because subconsciously I think we have the idea that having them is just a norm. In reality, for many people it’s not a norm. So, hopefully our thinking has changed in that regard. Personally, I have to say that during these days I’ve reconsidered a number of things and it brought me to today’s reason for being thankful—pleasures. You can lump this under wants or unexpected gifts. Yes, we have had a lot of needs met and we’re going to continue looking at those needs that have been made leading up to Thanksgiving Day. But for today I want to go off course and look at those little “extras” in life that I believe we all have experienced at one point or another during our lifetime. Maybe when you were growing up you experienced things that were not quite right in your family in regards to differences made between siblings. Or, maybe you had to go without some things. Perhaps you had no idea what it’s meant to really go on a family vacation for any amount of time. Whatever the case, your childhood enjoyment with all of its provisions was yet lacking somewhat for you. What about your adult life? Have you had some setbacks that have just totally made you feel weighed down? Never felt like you could get ahead in life? Okay…so now that you’re thinking about all those negative things switch gears to any vacation you’ve had later in life that maybe you never experienced early in life. Or, think about those little glimmers of favor that people have shown towards you that maybe you missed in childhood or any other point in your life. Think about all those little breaks or big breaks you’ve experienced, no matter how short-lived you may consider them to be in your mind. Think about tickets that your job or someone has handed you with no expectation to some concert, or game, etc. My point is that all these are pleasures—little extras that add to life’s enjoyment (when we pay attention to them). No one has to be nice to you but imagine what it would feel like if you never experienced that in your life. Wouldn’t that just be downright depressing? We actually do get MORE than our needs met in life but we often don’t pay attention to them. Maybe we’re just more ungrateful than we think? Something to ponder…