Welcome to my Daily Inspiration - Daily Quote. See today's daily inspirational quotes below.
May the world be kind to you, and may your own thoughts be gentle upon yourself. - Jonathan Lockwood Huie

Saturday, October 18, 2008

Too Much of a Good Thing? - Choose Gratitude

Mae West -known for her wit and double entendre - said “too much of a good thing can be wonderful,” but for the rest of us, “too much of a good thing” tends to be a confusing situation.

It’s Autumn and the ground beneath our apple tree sports an abundance of fallen apples. The deer, rabbits, and squirrels are feasting. I watch as a squirrel picks up an apple almost half as big as itself. It looks confused. Takes a small bite. Puts the apple down. Looks confused. Scurries to another apple, and repeats the process. “What to do? I can’t eat them all. I can’t bury them all. I may be hungry this winter. Right now, there are so many apples. What to do?”

In 21st Century America, we suffer from a profusion of fallen apples… an epidemic of abundance. We are so spoiled that we can’t even see what is right in front of our faces. Unlike the fallen apples in my backyard, the “fallen apples” we feast on in America are a year-round cornucopia.

“But I’m tired of ‘apples’ and I don’t like them fallen.” Remember “manna from Heaven” in the Bible? Sounds a lot like “fallen apples.” Are we sick and tired of our abundance of manna? Most 21st Century Americans truly are sick and tired of their abundance of manna. “Same thing - day after day. And I have to bend over to pick it up. And it touched that dirty ground. Sheee... germs. And everyone else is eating the same thing. How boring.”

When we are surrounded by abundance, not only do we stop being grateful, we actually STOP SEEING our abundance. We are not aware of, let alone grateful for the air we breathe. “What air? I don’t see any air.” As we don’t notice the air, we also don’t notice the abundant food, shelter, health, comfort that surrounds us. “But, But, what about…” Our glass isn’t half full, its 99.9% full. Open your eyes… Notice… Become Aware… CHOOSE… Gratitude or Complaint?

3 comments:

  1. wow this is so true just need to stop and give thanks once in a while :)

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  2. I am grateful for everyday I wake up in the morning. There are new experiences and people to meet everyday. I am very thankful for what God has chosen to bless me with.

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  3. Thank you for this, Jonathan. I so heartily agree. It's so sad that the many of the forces of our economy push us to focus on what we don't have and try to make us want what that this store or that store wants to sell us. This bigger house. That newer car. This hot "Christmas" toy. (As if they actually knew the meaning of that word.) You're inadequate if you don't keep up with the trends and buy these stylish clothes. GARBAGE, I say.

    We can't seem to want what we have; the media says we should have everything we want. And tries to make us want it. The TV commercials poison our children from a young age and as parents it's so hard to counteract that.

    Sorry everyone, I'm starting to rant. God bless Jonathan for sharing the doses of reality this world so desperately needs.

    -Glenn

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