Gratitude Musings

Coming home in the evening from a very long day teaching and supervising students in Brisbane, I am always tired and somewhat drained.

The traffic, the polluted city air in the Valley, the mental stimulus of a long working day, then the long drive home….

But when I get out of the car I am always called to stop for a moment before going inside.  I breathe in the fresh evening air on the mountain where I live.  I smell the scent of some night blooming flowers in the garden.

My eyes are drawn upwards to the night sky and the spectacular star laden world above me.  I see the constant glow of the moon, the night light that brings a perennial comfort. I notice the phase she is in and then I breathe again a little more deeply and I take in the dark silence of night. I am reminded by all these things, about my place in the world, my dependence on nature for my sustenance. My work that helps to nourish and support others to find better health and wellbeing. The gift of my family and friends.

From this place of gratitude and reverence, I enter my home once again. I bask in the simple comfort of a hot shower and warm nourishing foods and I am renewed and restored once again.

Sometimes the simplest things can bring the greatest gratitude.