Laws of Nature

There’s a self expansive aspect of gratitude. Very possibly it’s a little known law of nature: 

the more gratitude you have, the more you have to be grateful for.   

Elaine St. James

Laws of nature like gravity and electromagnetism are all around us. From keeping Earth in orbit around the sun or bringing a softball off the bat to some spot in the outfield, to helping tape stick to a package or a magnet to stick to the refrigerator; we experience these irrefutable laws in our daily lives. They are powers greater than human, though humans have learned how to utilize them to our advantage. 

Elaine St. James is an author and lecturer well-known for her writings and talks about living a simpler life. Too much stuff, demands on our time, and distractions from our priorities leave many people unhappy and anxious, at least to some degree. 

Simplify your life. Amen to that! I start with simplifying my overactive and counterproductive thoughts. It is a daily effort for me, and well worth it. Gratefulness and other practices that keep me present as well as more content with what I already have are key. 

I agree with Elaine St. James on many things, including the quote above. Expansive is such a beautiful and fitting word to describe the abundance all around us. Our job is simply to pause, notice, appreciate. 

The more we see and cherish what we already have--from a relaxed pair of jeans, to close connections with family and friends, to the awe of Nature whenever we step outside or look out a window--the less we are compelled to pursue more.

We find contentment. We stop buying items we don’t need. We learn to say “no” in order to protect the time we have. 

Gratitude and living gratefully are multipliers in the best ways. It’s simple math. The more gifts I notice in daily life, the more those gifts bring me the things in life that matter most. 

Speaking of refrigerator magnets, here are two of mine: