Take a deep breath. Open your eyes and observe what is around you.
Look at the sun beaming through the blossoming trees. Listen to the birds singing ecstatically with feverous joy. Touch the different textures of plants in your garden as you await a bountiful feast upon harvest.
We didn’t earn the pleasures of the awe inspiring world that we were born into. Rather they were freely available to us upon birth. They are gifts.
Life is a gift.
We are all born as helpless infants, dependent on our parents or caregivers for our day to day survival. They’ve fed us, nourished us and did the best they could to get us to where we are today.
Our lives are shaped from the generosity of others, and sustained through the abundance and blessings of nature.
When you look at things from this vantage point, you begin to feel a sense of immense gratitude. Your heart pours out with joy. The crude individualism that is revered in our culture begins to slowly fade away. How could we, in good faith, remain in a state of arrogance and greed if we truly recognize all that we were given in this life.
As we become aware and grateful of the many gifts our world provides, we are called to give back. We give with generosity, without demanding anything in return, because we are appreciative of all that we have received.
Each of us is unique and can offer our distinct gifts to the world.
As the writer and activist Charles Eisenstein notes, we are all born into a world of abundance. We are more than separate selves viscously competing for limited resources. Rather, as we’ve become increasingly aware, all of us are deeply connected through various different systems. We all reside in a single ecosystem, and on a deeper level we all share the same fate.
Imagine the world we could aspire to, the community we could create and waste we would reduce if we all embraced this fundamental truth of connection and co-dependency. Relationships would flourish and our bond to the earth would be restored as we prioritize people over things.
So, what gift is in you to give? What do you want to do to connect with others and work towards a more beautiful world?
Let me know in the comments.
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Thank you, Andrew, for this amazing post! It’s so incredibly rich.
What gift is in me to give? I’d like to help Beings awaken to their own inner beauty–their essential nature.
Wishing you a great day! 🙏
So, what gift is in you to give? – wow, just the hope that people will take that line and really feel it inside … that’s a gift in and of itself
Beautiful!
I was naïve to believe that I knew the answer to this question at a past point in my life. But now I have rectified my thought process. The greatest gift I can give is to myself. Self-love and care which in turn will prove beneficial to others. We care little for ourselves and often seek that comfort, love, and validation from others. It becomes a vicious cycle of hurt and resentment which radiates into other spheres of life. Let’s just gift ourselves some genuine care and see the links of this ‘caring chain’ form and join us together. To me that’s honest progress. Thanks for sharing this. 🙂
Thank you for the thoughtful reflection, I like your notion of the ‘caring chain’ ! And yes, progress if different for everyone for sure
Thank you for the reminder of gratitude
I don’t know about gifts but I care that others succeed in their dreams and am happy to help in any way. I think it’s about caring.
Incredible, thought-provoking post! It is a question I have been searching the answer to for many years. Those around me speak of my positivity but recently I have hit a low. I am training and almost qualified to be a teacher, and this, I believe, is my gift – giving knowledge, education and motivation to the next generation; that is what I will continue to do.
sounds beautiful, wishing you all the best on your journey 🙂
Beautiful, thoughtful post. I want to help people more than I currently do. I want to inspire people, especially women, to believe in their talents and gifts. We all have them.
Thank you for your comment. I personally have trouble navigating the tension between the demands of paying the bills and doing the most good I can offer the world
I love the way you emphasized the importance of appreciating not just the big things but the little ones as well! Wonderful post.
This is beautiful. And wonderfully written. Our best selves are fully capable of this. But daily life puts us in constant effort to protect our boundaries. Without vigilance our boundaries are compromised and our ability to rise to a state of grace is challenged. What practical lessons lie in that?
Perhaps we just need to believe in a new collective story ?
So much positivity. Good work brother.