A few years ago, I was having no luck plunking annuals in the ground out front in an empty area. Despite pretty diligent watering and fertilizing, they would grow feebly and burn up in midsummer. So one year I spotted a pot of daffodils on sale and gave them the spot in which to do or die. With even less water and fertilizer, they have dependably greeted early Spring with enthusiasm every year since. Especially as the deprivation of Winter ends, we are very grateful for this spunky bulb family, and everything else green, growing, flowering, furry or feathered that is right outside the windows.
Bird seed put out front and in the back on the deck rewards us with generations of squirrels, chipmunks and birds. The pair of cardinals stop by most days, and later in the season the hummingbird pays a nervous visit. Blackberry (the cat) twitches with excitement as busy groups of sparrows -- or best of all, doves -- peck and scatter the seeds. No one is sure if cats feel gratitude, but it is clear he appreciates the show a great deal.
Cicero said, "Gratitude is not only the greatest of virtues, but the parent of all the others." I think it does strengthen character, makes one more positive and happier, and thus may be a basis for other areas of self improvement. It did not make the list in the ancient world (those virtues were: temperance, wisdom, justice and courage) or later on in the Christian Catholic era (there are seven, counterpoised to the seven sins: chastity, temperance, charity, diligence, patience, kindness and humility). The Book of Wisdom in the Apocrypha holds that wisdom, not gratitude, is the font of the virtues; so it appears Cicero was alone in his estimation. Gratitude is formalized in Thanksgiving Day and prayers of thanks, but like all the best things it's really free and unlimited and you can enjoy it any time. Those best things can be big as the serene blue sky or small as a bee. And we should always be especially grateful for the bees.
Sometimes gratitude is hard to come by: are children, prisoners, soldiers or the privileged very grateful for their food and shelter? It is hard to feel positive when you have little control over your life. Your perspective improves if you are in a different situation where you are more independent, secure and less distracted.
The motto of the Campbell family of Cawdor Castle in Scotland says it best:
But what if we paid attention?
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