thoughtful thursday

the art of gratitude.  being thankful, grateful for whatever good is in one's life, however simple, is an important component in living a healthy life.  this is not a platitude or to discount the truly negative events in life.  the old saying, "i complained i had no shoes until i met a man who had no feet." is an inadequate summation of gratitude but will have to do for the purpose of thoughtful thursday.

a bit of psychological background via the theory of abraham maslow's hierarchy of needs.  maslow posited that an individual cannot even begin to reach for self-actualization until basic human needs are met: food, water, shelter, security, safety. only once these needs are met and continue to be met over time can a person strive for the abstract needs of being fully human:  love, friendship, belonging, esteem, morality, creativity, acceptance of self and others.  this process occurs naturally, not by any force of action by the individual.  all of these needs are tied to the characteristic of motivation.  we do not choose to be motivated; we are, like breathing, motivated.  what we are motivated toward changes with our needs.

citizens of more modern societies more or less have their basic needs met. therefore, it's a given that those needs are rarely thought of as anything more than normal.  even though, for everyone, basic needs can be withheld for just about any occurrence; such as a extreme natural disaster.  until the norm changes, individuals are automatically motivated toward higher level human needs.  this is the point at which the old saying about no shoes versus no feet becomes important.  it is even more critical for living a healthy life to remain focused on gratitude for all that is good in our lives.  be thankful for what makes quality of life possible while striving to met continued needs.

i'm grateful for soap, hot water, vision to look at all the wonders of nature that surround me daily, a brain that more than adequately allows me to think and ponder about such concepts as a hierarchy of needs for human beings.  the list of what i am grateful for is longer than i could impart in this space.  it's enough to state that i am mindful of my extreme good fortune to live as i do.  today and during the next week leading to my favorite holiday, thanksgiving, make your mental list of all that is good in your life.