Had an event occured yesterday that almost did, I wouldn't be here today. Sure, my body would be alive but my spirit would be broken if my sweetie had sustained injury or death in a near miss accident. How quickly life can change...in an instant we can be headed in one direction and the next instant another direction. I am so grateful to not be dealing with might have been. This day, once again, is mine.
How to sustain a sense of gratitude? I have noticed that positive people sustain this state. They don't take anything for granted and live in the present....not wallowing in the past nor worrying about the future. These gratitude people are nice to be around, their positive outlook is refreshing and often infectious. They seem light and that would make sense...without the weight of worry. 
The most positive person that I know is my 85 year old neighbor (and adoptive dad)Alan. Alan has a grade 8 education but through hard work, ingenuity and natural talent has made a success of his life. Economically, he is comfortable but his real sucess is his spirit. Like so many of us, he has suffered losses and injustices but he has consciously chosen how to view hardships. He has been ennobled by what life has brought him. This habit of choosing a state of gratitude has refined Alan into a content and loving individual who is happy. A very successful person indeed.
So I am going to practice gratitude today. I am grateful that everyone that I love is whole and intact. I am grateful for where I was born, I am grateful for health, interests and the ability to pursue my interests. I am grateful for the roads that life has taken me down even though some of those roads have been rough. I am grateful to find my voice. Who knows, I may grow to be grateful for blogging!
Until then