But, like, also... it's ridiculous how gratitude has become a thing you can buy! It reminds me of one Dr. Adu-Gyamfi's African Tonic, a popular product that I came across during my West African travels. This magic elixir was supposed to cure everything, from diarrhea to diabetes - check out these amazing illustrations and lists!
If Dr. Adu-Gyamfi were peddling products in America today, it might well be a bottle of Gratitude. Gratitude has become portrayed as a panacea; it is said to reduce feelings of anxiety and sadness, improve health outcomes and relationship satisfaction, and even prolong your life. I'm not here to review the literature or challenge these claims, though some are surely on shaky ground. But I am here to say NO to the gratitude gravy train!
I mean, do we really think we can get gratitude from t-shirts to hand-crafted items available at Etsy?! Gratitude lies at the heart of every organized religion, and sits firmly in the disorganized heart of yours truly. Living in gratitude is a sacred practice and an essential aspect of being in many traditions. For me, it was passed down through my matriarchal lineage, for example in Grandma Mimi's dictum, "If the trash spills in the kitchen, at least it didn't spill on the carpet." I may not channel gratitude at every moment -- notably, ironically, I'm not leading with gratitude in this moment -- but I do try, in general. The notion that there could be a price-tag for that practice is not only ludicrous, it's repugnant, and I object!
I also don't love the trendiness aspect of gratitude, because I've never understand why anyone would want to go along with what is popular. Is it just me, or don't most people prefer to imagine they are unique? I don't want to blend in with everyone else (oh the irony of living in the bland planned community that is Irvine). I've never bought into fashion trends - to the head-shaking dismay of some friends, and entertainment of others. So when something like gratitude gets commercialized and popularized, it feels cheapened, repulsive even. It makes me want to stop doing it, which appears to be exactly what I'm doing in this post!
With that rant out of my system, I suppose the commoditization of gratitude is not a bad thing, nor a good thing, it just is. I am honestly glad there is some solid data to support gratitude as an effective salve. I appreciate that many, many people have been helped by the expanding (if popularized) call to practice this ancient art of gratitude. Clearly, these are realities to be grateful for, and they clearly matter infinitely more than my ego's selfish takes.
At the end of the day, I am grateful for the freedom to hold both opinions true, that commercializing gratitude is both good in some ways, and a bummer in others. As I practice Janet's yoga, I'm learning to release attachment to my opinions, judgements, thoughts, and emotions. In this way, I can observe these interior workings with more perspective, and with gratitude, and not be subject to their whims and rants. I practice letting the ego and her minions go, in order to see more clearly what is in front of me, and what is within me.
Hey, I wonder if this practice of detached observation that I'm learning through yoga might also become a trendy commodity? Just kidding, I know that yoga has been around for centuries. And I know that yoga is a gravy train I will stay on for as long as possible, with deepest gratitude that I may continue to touch heaven.
