How do you experience gratitude when feelings are elusive?
Emotions are random things. Love, sadness, joy, fear. Very few are predictable, and most move like winds through our lives. They depend on what we have eaten or how long we have slept, long-term problems and immediate circumstances. I suspect that is why my evangelical friends put “feelings” at the end of their faith train. Emotions are ephemeral. Feeling is great when you feel good, but what about when you do not? Or when your feelings run counter to those of everyone else in the room?
Gratitude is like other emotions. Thankfulness might sneak up by surprise, but it cannot be planned. Yet gratitude is good. Think of all the benefits that scientists report: health, happiness, and well-being. So the question arises: How do you experience gratitude when feelings are elusive?
From “Grateful” by Diana Butler Bass