According to the Oxford Dictionary of Etymology (word derivation), the meaning of “gratitude” is “free gift; gratefulness”. The same dictionary cites the word “grateful” to derive from a combination of the Sanskrit work for “welcome”, the Old Italian word for “pleasing”, and the Indo-Iranian words for “praise”.
What’s our takeaway? Gratitude is a state of appreciating the things in one’s life that we welcome in, things that are pleasing to us, and exalting them to a state of praise. The capacity to do this is a wonderful “free gift” of living life; it is ours by birthright.
It has been scientifically proven that a state of gratitude counteracts feelings of fear and anger and distress and puts the brain and body into a state of calm and peace and contentment. So seize the moment! It’s your birthright, your free gift awaiting claiming.
We invite you to take this moment to feel the freedom of choosing gratitude, of really allowing yourself to surrender into a state of gratefulness for what in your life is pleasing, what you welcome in more of, what you feel praise and appreciation for. By the same token, allow what you choose not to welcome into your life to wash away – to make more room for that ahhhh of gratitude for what you love.
Start with one thing in your life, in your day, in your present or in your past or future, one thing small or big, for which you feel gratitude. Focus on how that thing makes you feel, and just let yourself breathe that feeling in through your body and bask in it for a moment. It feels good, we promise. And please know that if you’re reading this, you too are part of the Pure Mana Ohana, and we are deeply grateful for you!
