Ah, the paradox of gratitude—it’s like a hidden gem we only discover in the rough terrain of life’s challenges. Thanksgiving, as a celebration of gratitude, seems to be this annual reminder to dust off that gem, appreciate it, and maybe even wear it for a while.

When the seas of life are calm, it’s easy to forget that not everyone has a smooth sailing experience. But when the storms hit, that’s when we start counting lifeboats. It’s interesting how adversity becomes a magnifying glass, revealing the things we didn’t pay attention to when life was a serene cruise.

Your musings on the ephemerality of that deep sense of appreciation resonate. It’s like catching fireflies in a jar—they’re magical, but you can’t keep them forever. So, how do we make that fleeting feeling linger a bit longer? It’s almost like gratitude is a muscle that needs regular exercise. We can’t expect it to flex effortlessly if we only call upon it during hurricanes.

Training the mind in appreciation and gratefulness is a marathon, not a sprint. It’s about weaving thankfulness into the fabric of our daily lives, not just when the curtain is about to fall. Creating those spaces for gratitude to flourish sounds like setting the stage for a beautiful play where appreciation takes center stage.

And you’re right about the connection. Gratitude, when felt deeply, erases the boundaries between us and the world. Suddenly, we’re not just players in the grand theater of life; we’re part of the cosmic ensemble. It’s in those moments that life doesn’t feel so much like a solitary journey, but a shared dance.

So, here’s to the art of training our minds, to appreciating the gems in the rough and smooth, to making gratitude a familiar friend rather than a fleeting acquaintance. May the melody of thankfulness play in the background of our lives, even when the storms have passed. Happy Thanksgiving, not just for a day, but for the daily practice of gratitude.

© Francesc Borrull, 2023