It’s a Tuesday morning, and I have the luxury of having a little extra time.  As I finish my meditation, I find myself looking around the room and noticing all the objects that add to the quality of this quiet time.  I notice a carved hand from Thailand, brought to me by a dear friend.  I notice a photograph of a stone statue that inspires me each day.  I notice the fountain that babbles off to my right.  I also notice the carpet on the floor, the computer I’m using right now.  All these things wouldn’t be here if it weren’t for the efforts of people I will never know – people whose energy and skill went into making the things in my home that I take for granted and that add to the quality of my life.  As I listen to a CD with flute and drum, I feel my gratitude to the musician, to the recording studio, to all the people involved in producing and distributing the CD, to the truck drivers who moved it along the way. 

I’ve written a number of times about Thich Nhat Hanh’s concept of “interbeing” and of the fact that we “interare” – that we cannot exist alone and that we are constantly and inescapably dependent on one another.  Interbeing, for me, is a dynamic reality that adds to the quality of my daily life, as it allows me to remember that, in every moment, I am supported by countless numbers of people who contribute actively to my having access to those things I consider necessities in my life.

And so, for this week’s experiment, I invite you to continue to deepen your gratitude practice by taking time to notice the everyday things around you – in your home, your office, out in your world – and to acknowledge that they exist in your world because of the efforts and talents of countless other people.  Notice what happens in your body when you take time to experience your gratitude.  Also notice the quality and tone of your state of mind and emotions when you go out into your world with this gratitude in the foreground of your awareness.  What’s it like to encounter the bus driver or go to the grocery store to buy food when you remember how many people – people you will never know – contributed to your immediate experience?  As you track your responses, take a few moments to fully sense what emerges.  Pay attention to your heart space.  Does it open or expand in any way?  Notice how you see the world.  Does it seem a friendlier and more supportive place?  Or, do you discover mixed feelings?

As with all these experiments, please remember to bring along curiosity as your constant companion.  There aren’t any right or wrong answers or ways to engage the process.  Each experiment is an invitation to become more aware of the quality and tone of your experience, and an opportunity to discover the power of the choices you make from moment to moment – where you focus your awareness and what you choose to emphasize in the foreground of your life.