Gratitude as medicine to achieve mindfulness

It is easy, very very easy to see the bad, the negative and the difficult, in fact I can say that for me, what always comes naturally is to focus on the bad things that happen, and the truth is that even when in a matter of seconds many things happen, for some reason our brain stays with the not so pleasant things that happened to us leaving aside the good ones, which are always many.

From my own experience I know that it could be part of the rhythm of life, to stop to see the bad things that happened and try to fix them, and so the circle repeats itself, taking a great part of the time of the day, leaving us exhausted and with a great negative load mentally. But it is so standardized to have this way of life in which we are constantly trying to solve leaves us trapped in a circle that if we are not careful we cannot get out of.

For me the way out of this circle is gratitude, being thankful for the little things and the big things helps us to see life from another angle, a much more positive one. Being grateful is something that comes out of the pores of many people, for example, my mom is a person capable of always getting something good in a bad situation or in any person, it is like something innate that makes her a person capable of turning something bad into something good in a matter of seconds.

Unfortunately I didn't inherit that, so gratitude, getting good and positive things to be thankful for, is always something I struggle with. And because of that, it has become an exercise of sorts, one that requires my concentration and one that I have to be very conscious of. I think this exercise of gratitude is a medicine to achieve mindfulness, of course you have to be present, focused to look for what to be grateful for.

There are always things to be grateful for, always and thinking about it is for me, a very good way to be aware of my surroundings, there is so much, so beautiful and so good that surrounds us and that sometimes we turn into routine, that dedicating time to be grateful for it, so to speak, brings it back to life for us. A few weeks ago for example I noticed that an apamate tree near my house had started to bloom.

Beautiful pink flowers that color the street in a very nice way, what makes it more special is that there are all over the place houses and pavement, so this tree stands out a lot, however, I am always in a hurry and it is hard for me to stop and look around when I am just watching the clock or mentally going over the list of things I have to do, so this tree does not always have my attention.

When I lived with my parents which is in the same area where I live now, this tree was there, it has been there for many years, blooming and losing its flowers, shedding leaves and getting leafy and yet I didn't always see it. But thanks to this exercise of gratitude that helps me to be aware and attentive, now every morning when I leave the house I take the time to walk slower, to see how beautiful it is especially when it is in bloom, and how together with the other neem tree below it, its shade is the best place to rest from the sun before arriving home.

Gratitude is by itself a very good tool to have a positive attitude, this attitude that helps us to face life and all the difficult things it brings with it. So, it is necessary to be able to be grateful, taking the time to do it makes a big change in one. And even though it doesn't come naturally to me to see the positive first, I have been learning to see it and thus have something to be thankful for.

And just like that beautiful tree that sometimes gets painted pink, gratitude has made me blossom in the sense that it has helped me be more positive and appreciate more the simple and beautiful things in life. And of course, it has helped me take the time to give my full attention to the positive things in my life and the positive things around me.