Gratitude

Brother David Steindl-Rast advocates a practice of gratitude that is different from others I have read. Before going to sleep each night he thinks of something about which to be grateful that he has never expressed gratitude about before. It is a good practice. It can take us from the more familiar or mundane (health, happiness, wealth) to noticing the smaller aspects of our lives about which to be grateful. Sometimes when riding my bike on the mountain trail, I am grateful for a butterfly that floats by and around me. Yesterday I was grateful for the healthy, young runners I met, who were so obviously enjoying themselves and their running. This gratitude helped offset the incident of the dog lunging at me. Really, isn't it true that one can choose upon what to put one's noticing?