Source, Accessed 02 May 2026
Beginning Gratitude
I was eleven years old and contemplating my existence. I lived in a small house with six other people (my oldest brother had already left home) and things were less than perfect. It was a house that my mother had inherited from her mother and we were lucky to have this place to call home. I was starting to understand that we were not as wealthy as some others (in a small town, wealth is a very relative concept, as almost no one was terribly financially secure). I was starting to feel sorry for myself.
One night, as I was about to fall asleep, a thought came to me. I was lucky to have a warm bed - not everyone did! I was lucky to have a roof over my head as the rain came down! I was lucky!
My life shifted at this point. I could have gone down a road of self-pity on which road so many spend their lives. Instead, I looked for the beautiful in the world - I have found so much beauty in the decades since! This simple shift in perspective helped me get through five years as a poor university student. This shift helped to me adjust to two other cultures. This moment was a significant one in my life.
Gratitude as a Practice
We think of feelings like joy as being spontaneous. I don’t think they are. I believe we nurture things and they create our lives. When we nurture sadness, grief, anger and self-pity, that is the “garden” in which we live. When we nurture gratitude, empathy, compassion and other feelings, we create a better world for ourselves and others.
Starting Your Practice
Find a time that suits you to begin a gratitude practice. It only needs to be a few moments a day. It could be in the morning. It could be at night. Whenever feels right for you. Just begin and you will see a change in your life. Among the suffering, there is also joy - watch for it and you will find yourself also creating it.
May all beings know peace!
Tūruapō
02 May 2026