“The state of abundance is connected with a deep sense of gratitude.” ~Jack Kornfield

Jack Kornfield is a well known expert in mindfulness psychology. His beautiful book, “The Wise Heart,” includes many exercises to help find peace in life. I have long known gratitude to be a deeply powerful practice for feeling peace and joy — and even to mitigate the effects of depression and anxiety. But this week, with one of the exercises from the book, I recognized at a deeper level how beautiful this practice can be.

I woke up grumpy, as I often do, and remembered my commitment to practice gratitude. My eyes went to a picture of Jesus on the wall. “I sure am thankful for Jesus,” I thought, “I’m thankful for my eyes that can see the picture on the wall. I’m thankful for my blackout curtains that make it easier to sleep. I’m thankful for the feeling of hunger I have, which will make eating breakfast so enjoyable.”

My goodness. I couldn’t stop! I was grateful for the view of the mountains when I opened the curtains. I was grateful for the refreshing sensation of water as I took my first drink of the day. The smell of oatmeal cooking was more noticeable than it was yesterday and I savored each bite with the nuts and berries I like to add, especially the last blueberries from my trip to Oregon.

As I acknowledged my gratitude for the berries, I remembered picking them with my two children. We love being in a field of tall bushes, meticulously clearing our designated patch and filling our buckets with the sun-warmed blueberries. We circled the bush in a dance with each other talking about philosophy, motivation, growth and whatever topic flowed to mind. The time was light and easy and infused with joy.

The gratitude came easy. Sometimes it’s harder, but there are always things to be grateful for. True freedom includes recognizing that good things are all around us all the time. The True Freedom series will include guided meditation and exercises for increasing gratitude. Until then try Jack Kornfield’s suggestion: “Spend a day or week just noticing, naming, bowing to [the] stream of generosity everywhere.”

Another quote from Jack Kornfield, “When we open to abundance, we can enjoy the fog lifting from this morning’s melting snow, and the steam rising from the hot bowl of tomato rice soup on our lunch table. We can appreciate the half smile of the tired waitress and celebrate the fact that we are here, breathing and alive, on this marvelous earth.”