One of the great joys of aging is living more fully in the grace of gratitude.
So many meditations here on Insight Timer show us how being grateful can transform our lives.
This is undoubtedly a good thing.
When we were younger and so busy in our days.
We often have to make a conscious effort to pause and give thanks.
And if we forgot,
Well,
We'd set aside a holiday for just that.
But as we age,
Many of us find that living within the grace of gratitude becomes a more natural part of who we are.
A man I know,
Now in his 85th year.
Told me that the greatest joy of aging is simply to awaken each morning.
Take a breath to be grateful for this wonderful opportunity to experience another day.
Is a fortunate man.
Though his wife passed some years ago,
His family is large and includes children and grandchildren,
And soon great-grandchildren.
And while he does not see them as often as he'd like,
He knows in his heart they are there,
And they visit several times a year.
In the summer,
He golfs twice a week.
And in the winter,
He does water aerobics at the community pool.
Is a circle of friends who know him well.
You have to train to be old,
He told me.
Yet I sense that his efforts to age well are suffused with the graceful gratitude he awakens to each morning.
Which it brings to each encounter with another.
If any of this resonates with you,
Or if these ideas intrigue you.
I invite you to take a few moments today in quiet reflection on how your own graceful gratitude may shape and color your experiences.
To enhance your life and the lives of those you touch.
