“Appreciation is the sacrament.”
–Allen Ginsberg“If the only prayer you say in your entire life is ‘Thank you,’ that would suffice.”
–Meister Eckhart“Be grateful to everyone.”
–Buddhist mind-training slogan
This Christmas season
I want to give a lot
Spend a small fortune
On stamps
As I write by hand a gratitude a day
Three to 13 lines or sentences
To notice someone’s gifts
And say so–
Her humor, compassion, benevolence
His mischief, fire, generosity–
To do this for people
Who aren’t the usual suspects or the BFFs
To do this as a slow, calm meditation
When the culture’s getting frenzied
To spend a few minutes a day doing this
As a joyful activity
To acknowledge these glorious and gracious people
Teachers and artists and avant-gardists
Actors and bodhisattvas
Animators and exhilarators
All these people who are –ta-daa–
“the light of the world”
Or my world anyway
The world of my beloveds
–from a writing practice with Brittany Accardi & Jenn Reyes Lay
10 a.m. Tuesday 20 November
Northwest Coffee
(under the not so subtle influence of a discussion two days before
With Nebu and Allison at Café Ventana)
