In the hustle and bustle of the upcoming holiday season, please take a moment to give thanks for all the blessings that you have currently. Notice I said currently, not what you did have or what you would like to have. The thankfulness should start out really simple …very simple.

Giving thanks that you can breathe, for there are many who struggle daily with COPD, asthma, emphysema, or mesothelioma etc. Giving thanks that you can still walk, for those who have lost their legs to war, accidents, paralysis or diabetes.

Giving thanks that you can read this to broaden the mind and a simple pleasure of being able to read a joke, or cartoon to make you smile. You get the picture. So often the very basics that impact the quality of life are the simplest, never mentally appreciated until they are gone or stripped away from you. 

If you start out the day with a small meditation like this and just give thanks for what you already have and maybe even take for granted, the day may seem a little lighter and brighter. For me it is an excellent mediation, sometimes in a form of a prayer, awakening my consciousness to the fact that I have so much abundance in my life.

This is a humbling exercise in a time of year that is traditionally so full of over-stimulation and competition. By staying simple – a truly Taoist attribute – we come to realize that joy and happiness are a by-product of appreciating our God-given gifts.