Giving Gratitude

Being grateful is not only a great tool to feel better - it is also the step that completes the circle initiated by receiving.

Let me explain what I mean by telling you about something that I lived...

One afternoon, on my way to a bookshop in London, I saw a man who was selling "The Big Issue" - a magazine sold by homeless people, which allows them to keep most of the profit.

Every now and then I give whoever I find selling the magazine a couple of pounds (the price of the magazine), though I don't take the magazine, so that they can "sell" it again.

As I was walking down the street, I saw one of these men and I stopped next to him to give him a couple of pounds. Only that I only had about 50p and a couple of notes (£5 and £10), and so I gave him the £5 note.

Most of the people selling this magazine get spare change from people if anything at all, or the £2 for the magazine. The reaction I get from most people I give money to is them giving gratitude, straight away; but this man grabbed the note quite anxiously more than grateful, whispered some words, and looked over me.

Now understand me, I'm not looking for gratitude - I know why I give money and the feeling I have when I give it in regards to their abundance and mine, and I'm fine with simply having my feeling. However, the transaction felt somehow 'incomplete'.

Just like the experience with the man selling the magazine had felt 'incomplete' for me, so the lady giving me things could experience the transaction as incomplete whenever I took things for granted, without giving gratitude.

So I imagined a nice generous lady, up in the sky, placing every day for me so many things - my train on time, no queue at the coffee shop, the email that comes with the right words at the right time, the last bottle of the best incense at the shop.

I imagined her observing as I pick up the gifts. She doesn't need my gratitude, and she's going to keep on giving regardless, but I can give value to her act of giving by my actively receiving, which shows in my giving gratitude.

In this way, whenever you notice all the things that work in your favour every day - from the little things to the big ones - you can just offer gratitude back to Life for all that you receive, and thus complete the circle of the transaction.

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