Appreciate the here and now

27 Nov 2008, 0000 hrs IST, J P VASWANI

Offering thanks teaches us a valuable lesson to appreciate the here and now.

Stop wishing for what-might-have-been and yearning for what-is-not, and enjoy what-is-now. Focus on the present moment and experience its full wonder.

A friend who worked in Pune was transferred to Mumbai. He was so upset he had nothing but complaints about the city. "I hate the noise and the pollution," he groaned. "This is just a concrete jungle," he would say. "The traffic is terrible! I can't stand the mad rush of this city!"

I lost touch until he came to see me in Pune. I asked him how he was doing in Mumbai, and was surprised to learn that he was back in Pune now. "That must make you happy!" I remarked. "I miss Mumbai!" he said.

"Mumbai is a vibrant city, full of life! It spoils you, it changes you! If you have been in Mumbai, you just can't be happy anywhere else! I now find Pune dull and boring." We only diminish the value of what we are and where we are, if we do not pause to be thankful for the present.

How can we appreciate the here and now? Imagine what your condition would be if you lose all that you have now. Each day, make a list of all the things 'big and small' for which you are grateful. Stay conscious of them throughout the day. Help those who are less fortunate than you are and feel grateful to God for giving you the opportunity to help someone in need.

The wise ones are aware that the blessings we have received from Him are infinite. Every moment of the day, every aspect of your mind, intellect, body all these are God's gifts to you.

The roots of this custom dates back to the Pilgrim Fathers who first arrived in America after a long and arduous journey across the Atlantic. Here, after a difficult winter in which they lost several of their loved ones, a winter also marked by great starvation and privation, they reaped a rich harvest in the new land. The whole of America observes Thanksgiving Day as a national holiday. It is marked by church services, family reunions and sumptuous dinners.

Every day in India is a Thanksgiving Day for we have to thank God for all that we are and all that we have, every day of our lives! We cannot, indeed, confine our thanksgiving to any single day. Ideally every day, every moment of every day should be an occasion of thanksgiving. The spirit of thanksgiving should so infuse our life that it should transform our life into a constant remembrance of His infinite mercy on us.

A man who wished to dispose of his home went to his friend in the real estate business and asked him to help him sell the house. The friend wrote out an advertisement on the basis of what he had heard, and read it out to the owner.

"Beautiful 50's house with spacious garden," he read. "Gabbled roof, spacious verandahs, well-ventilated rooms and large dining, drawing rooms. Ideally suited for families with children."

"Read that again," said the owner. His friend obliged. "This house is not for sale," said the man. "All my life I've wanted a place like the one you have just described. But I never knew I had it until I heard what you have written."