On awakening, bless this day, for it is already full of unseen good which your blessings will call forth; for to bless is to acknowledge the unlimited good that is embedded in the very texture of the universe and awaiting each and all.
One of the greatest secrets of life is to know how to constantly marvel at existence and at the world. And one of the greatest avatars of history told us 2000 years ago that if we did not become like little children, we would not be able to enter the realm of inner fulfillment or know happiness.
One of the countless wonders of life is that it is constantly full of opportunities for amazement at every turn, and one of the tragedies of our consumer society is that it devalues those opportunities through relentless media hype.
I have a friend in his 85th year who is a Vesuvius of enthusiasm. The smallest flower on a cliff, a particular bird song, a special sunset, an act of kindness that is out of the ordinary…. absolutely everything is an opportunity for him to get inspired. I am aware that I am writing this for the privileged, and it was not my language when I would meet the women of the village of Semari in the Sahel who walked 40km. a day in 120°F temperatures in the sun to fetch water. But this is not our case. So let us dare to assume our privileges. In every field, you will find opportunities to marvel, whether it is in sports as in the case of that old marathon runner from New York who at 105 was doing her x-th marathon, or so many unforgettable works of art, the slow magic of the arrival of spring, the smile of a child in the bus, the incredible functioning of the human body (35 to 40’000’000’000’000’000 cells all coordinated in a magical way. ) And let’s not forget nature: those almost 100m. high sequoias, almost 3000 years old, in California… The old Tjikko in Sweden, a Norway spruce almost 10’000 years old, or Pando, that tree in Utah that has been cloning itself since 80’000 years from its root system and without seeds (I have a special love for trees.) The list of the wonders of nature is endless.
And remember that enthusiasm is a valuable practice for boosting your health and morale… Free of charge.
Pierre Pradervand
November 2021
The Gentle Art of Blessing
