For me, being grateful is taking action, it’s a behaviour with the intention to be grateful, and generate a sense of gratitude. The outcome of this effort will hopefully be the feeling of gratitude. Of course, sometime gratitude just arises with no effort, which is a beautiful moment, an effortless feeling of gratitude x
Feeling grateful is an understanding and awareness that the source of love and truth is in us and all around us.
Being grateful is the action of understanding and awareness. How we move about in this life shows our truth and love. We see and do with the light of love.
I think perhaps I can best explain it through nature. We have a tree on our property that is likely original to the house, and thus over 150 years old. This tree has seen many storms, sometimes losing pieces of itself along the way. However, the sun always comes out again, filtering through its greenness like stained glass windows. It's roots are like being grateful in that they give us something to hang onto when the storms blow through, as they do through every life. Feeling grateful is more l...
I think perhaps I can best explain it through nature. We have a tree on our property that is likely original to the house, and thus over 150 years old. This tree has seen many storms, sometimes losing pieces of itself along the way. However, the sun always comes out again, filtering through its greenness like stained glass windows. It’s roots are like being grateful in that they give us something to hang onto when the storms blow through, as they do through every life. Feeling grateful is more like the sunlight through the branches, that comes and goes depending on the weather of the day. While we cannot change the weather, we can dig deep and hang on, knowing the sun will come out again.
Feeling grateful may just be temporary. It might be conditional, something could disturb the feeling and it may flee as quickly as it arose.
I think being grateful in this case contrasts with it in that the gratitude is deep and lasting. It has roots in the core of one’s very being. It is not going to be shaken off, not by anything.
As powerful, compelling and important as they are, I think feelings and thoughts are fleeting. Being grateful is perhaps rooted in a deeper place in the body/mind, and invites thoughts and actions from that place of greater awareness and consciousness.
To be honest, to a certain degree, I wonder if we are playing semantics; however, I can say that there are times when I feel like the world is collapsing. In these moments I am often anxious, tired, and desperate. Still, it is in these moments that I become most aware of the fact that I am on a journey of growth in wisdom. I would call this awareness gratitude, but even this, to some extent, is still something felt-sort of like laughter in the midst of tears.
Amen. I have been contemplating this question myself, so it is interesting to have it pop up here. There is so much to be grateful for, even during the darker times of our lives, that it does point out the difference between feeling grateful and being so. I am VERY grateful for the lessons and the progress, even through the tears that come to all of us at one point or another. Sometimes life just hurts, but that doesn’t mean it fails to be good.
It seems to me that out of deep presence and a loving awareness of the particularity and gift that each form of life is, there arises a feeling of overflowing fullness (gratefulness) that is the heart’s vibrant resonance as it joins the infinitely deep, creative and ultimately-inclusive song of life.
I was just writing to a few friends last week on this theme & offered this:
"While out on my endorphin tour in the woods yesterday, I was thinking about the possible difference between gratefulness & gratitude. Gratefulness feels more like an active/being present/noticing way to walk throughout a day, while gratitude feels like a reflective accounting of at day's end or in word to another.
I've long-kept a gratitude journal for penning (when I remember), but I'm eager to see if an e...
I was just writing to a few friends last week on this theme & offered this:
“While out on my endorphin tour in the woods yesterday, I was thinking about the possible difference between gratefulness & gratitude. Gratefulness feels more like an active/being present/noticing way to walk throughout a day, while gratitude feels like a reflective accounting of at day’s end or in word to another.
I’ve long-kept a gratitude journal for penning (when I remember), but I’m eager to see if an endeavoring in gratefulness throughout the day colors the gratitude in a new way.”
Feeling grateful is that.. a feeling that fills my heart and soul with abundant joy. Being grateful is an active response to whatever or whomever I am grateful for.
I think being grateful is a decision and feeling grateful is the effect. We can control the decision by being intentional. The feeling will arise naturally in response to what happens in life. So good to be reminded about the power we have to direct our lives. Maybe I don’t direct my life but I can have a balanced response
For me, being grateful is taking action, it’s a behaviour with the intention to be grateful, and generate a sense of gratitude. The outcome of this effort will hopefully be the feeling of gratitude. Of course, sometime gratitude just arises with no effort, which is a beautiful moment, an effortless feeling of gratitude x
Feeling grateful is an understanding and awareness that the source of love and truth is in us and all around us.
Being grateful is the action of understanding and awareness. How we move about in this life shows our truth and love. We see and do with the light of love.
I think perhaps I can best explain it through nature. We have a tree on our property that is likely original to the house, and thus over 150 years old. This tree has seen many storms, sometimes losing pieces of itself along the way. However, the sun always comes out again, filtering through its greenness like stained glass windows. It's roots are like being grateful in that they give us something to hang onto when the storms blow through, as they do through every life. Feeling grateful is more l...
I think perhaps I can best explain it through nature. We have a tree on our property that is likely original to the house, and thus over 150 years old. This tree has seen many storms, sometimes losing pieces of itself along the way. However, the sun always comes out again, filtering through its greenness like stained glass windows. It’s roots are like being grateful in that they give us something to hang onto when the storms blow through, as they do through every life. Feeling grateful is more like the sunlight through the branches, that comes and goes depending on the weather of the day. While we cannot change the weather, we can dig deep and hang on, knowing the sun will come out again.
Feeling grateful may just be temporary. It might be conditional, something could disturb the feeling and it may flee as quickly as it arose.
I think being grateful in this case contrasts with it in that the gratitude is deep and lasting. It has roots in the core of one’s very being. It is not going to be shaken off, not by anything.
As powerful, compelling and important as they are, I think feelings and thoughts are fleeting. Being grateful is perhaps rooted in a deeper place in the body/mind, and invites thoughts and actions from that place of greater awareness and consciousness.
Everyone writing thus far has defined it quite well.
the same as making plans/setting a goal and actual execution. “don’t talk about it be about it” comes to mind, also.
To be honest, to a certain degree, I wonder if we are playing semantics; however, I can say that there are times when I feel like the world is collapsing. In these moments I am often anxious, tired, and desperate. Still, it is in these moments that I become most aware of the fact that I am on a journey of growth in wisdom. I would call this awareness gratitude, but even this, to some extent, is still something felt-sort of like laughter in the midst of tears.
Amen. I have been contemplating this question myself, so it is interesting to have it pop up here. There is so much to be grateful for, even during the darker times of our lives, that it does point out the difference between feeling grateful and being so. I am VERY grateful for the lessons and the progress, even through the tears that come to all of us at one point or another. Sometimes life just hurts, but that doesn’t mean it fails to be good.
It seems to me that out of deep presence and a loving awareness of the particularity and gift that each form of life is, there arises a feeling of overflowing fullness (gratefulness) that is the heart’s vibrant resonance as it joins the infinitely deep, creative and ultimately-inclusive song of life.
I was just writing to a few friends last week on this theme & offered this:
"While out on my endorphin tour in the woods yesterday, I was thinking about the possible difference between gratefulness & gratitude. Gratefulness feels more like an active/being present/noticing way to walk throughout a day, while gratitude feels like a reflective accounting of at day's end or in word to another.
I've long-kept a gratitude journal for penning (when I remember), but I'm eager to see if an e...
I was just writing to a few friends last week on this theme & offered this:
“While out on my endorphin tour in the woods yesterday, I was thinking about the possible difference between gratefulness & gratitude. Gratefulness feels more like an active/being present/noticing way to walk throughout a day, while gratitude feels like a reflective accounting of at day’s end or in word to another.
I’ve long-kept a gratitude journal for penning (when I remember), but I’m eager to see if an endeavoring in gratefulness throughout the day colors the gratitude in a new way.”
Feeling grateful is that.. a feeling that fills my heart and soul with abundant joy. Being grateful is an active response to whatever or whomever I am grateful for.
What is the difference between feeling grateful and being grateful?
The “feeling of gratefulness” emanates out of the awareness that……“Your life is God’s gift to you.”
The “being grateful” emanates out of the awareness that…. “What you do with your life is your gift to God.”
I think you’ve said it, Ed
I think being grateful is a decision and feeling grateful is the effect. We can control the decision by being intentional. The feeling will arise naturally in response to what happens in life. So good to be reminded about the power we have to direct our lives. Maybe I don’t direct my life but I can have a balanced response
Who knows? I am just happy that the emotion of gratefulness exists.
Smile.
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