Thankfulness – cultivate an attitude of gratitude.

I don’t know about you, but the older I get, the more it seems to me that there’s an acceleration in the rotation of the earth on its axis. My imagination conjures an image where it spins faster and faster, leaving havoc-filled schedules infused with haste. This image seems to be the only plausible explanation as to why life seems to get more demanding and why time is flying by like an arrow, leaving one wondering what happened. And before we know it, we’ll be looking back in our review mirrors reminiscing about another year passed.

We’ve already passed the first quarter of 2018 and considering the ever increasing shortage in time, the rest of 2018 will soon go down in history as “done and dusted”. As we are progressing towards the halfway mark of this year, most of us are looking forward to a quick, but rejuvenating rest and quality time with our loved ones during the upcoming school break. Some of us are making plans to go on holiday or buy new things, while others consider better saving options. We do these things because we can. Yes, we fall under the small minority fortunate enough to consider holiday destinations or new possessions. We are also in the advantageous position to make plans because we have the time and options to do so.

Before we continue to do and accumulate more, perhaps it’s time to take a step back from our plans and be thankful. I’ve heard many people call this year a dark horse, referring to an apocalyptic symbol because so far this year was difficult for them. Terrible in the sense that they’ve lost loved ones or that they’ve had extremely challenging health issues. Others experienced various wounds in different spheres of life, but the point is that several had a dark cloud hanging over their lives. Maybe you are one of these people; perhaps you’re not.

Nevertheless, I want to point out to you that you’re still alive. You’re breathing, living and hoping. Others did not make it. You have a family; whether you have close relations with them or not, they are there. You have the opportunity to engage with them and to restore relationships. I know of quite a few orphanages, where the family is more than just a blood connection. They choose to be family. Maybe it’s time for us to do the same with those family members we wrote off long ago. We still have time.

There’s always something to be thankful for.  – author unknown

Instead of focusing on the new furniture you are hoping to buy, first, consider the fact that you have some. Most people in our country have none. They make due with things that you and I throw away at the dump site. We are quick to take for granted what we have and forget that what we have today was once the prayers of yesterday. Maybe we ought to want less and appreciate more what we already have.

It’s a natural reaction for people to demand and expect more when their successes have elevated them to higher heights. So often we become arrogant without realizing it. We speak in a condescending tone to others because we think that our title or position dictates it, or we demand more because we feel entitled to it. Think about the waitress that messed up your order at the last restaurant you visited. Did she genuinely deserve your scorn? Why is it that we as people so quickly forget our humble beginnings? Once upon a time, you might have been in her shoes, or perhaps you were the student with an equal demeaning job washing the cars of thankless people. Perhaps you too once knew the pangs of hunger and the shame of embarrassment. Let’s be thankful for our station in life. We have worked hard to get here, but let’s also be appreciative of the journeys we’ve traveled to get here, and at the same time remember to be compassionate and kind towards those who are still emerging and climbing their ladders.

We need to get into the habit of cultivating an attitude of gratitude. It may sound difficult, but it’s not that challenging at all to do so. We merely need to realize that there’s something to be thankful for, every day, everywhere we go. It’s in the laughter of children playing in a dusty road, the glow of our magnificent Namibian sunset that we get to witness almost daily, the curious stares from wildlife standing next to our roads when we take a road trip, or the funny little aerial wiggle our warthogs do when they run into the bush. It’s even found in the happy welcome your dog shows you daily, or in the song of birds early in the morning. There’s always something that has the potential to bring us joy and to remind us to be thankful. It all depends on what we focus on at that moment.

Let us take stock of our lives now and pay attention to that which is more valuable than our wants, complaints and concerns.  In the end, the beauty of life is captured in each precious moment in time. Seek out these precious moments and be grateful for them.