Hope For Some of the World's Most Vulnerable Children

When I visited the Sivile Primary School in South Africa's Western Cape, I was struck by a feeling. It was a feeling of the vulnerability of the children all around me, who are put at huge risk every single day. It is a threat and a risk they face for what should be a simple journey. Yet, they are placed in harm's way just for trying to get to their school to gain an education.

Right in front of their houses in the very poor neighbourhood of Khayelitsha, sits a high speed road -- the Jeff Masemola Highway. It's a road that brings trucks and cars at 90 km/h right through the settlement, the traffic rattling the corrugated iron roofs of the shacks where the children live. And it is a road that brings fear and misery every day to the schoolchildren of Sivile Primary.

I visited the Sivile Primary last year for the launch of the Safe Schools project, which I am privileged to be involved in as part of my work campaigning for the UN Decade of Action for Road Safety. The project is the first of its kind in South Africa, but is in line with similar initiatives supported by the Road Safety Fund globally, including in Tanzania, Mexico and Costa Rica.

When you stand at the Jeff Masemola Highway outside the school, you appreciate the difficulty the children of Khayelitsha face as they try to get to school early each day. Hundreds of children stand by the road every morning -- running and then stopping to avoid trucks and cars that clatter by, inches from their faces. In fact, more than one in five children reported that they had been involved in a road crash in some way -- a shockingly high number.

The Safe Schools project, which is being supported by Janssen and the FIA Foundation, is coordinated by ChildSafe South Africa, which is a member of Safe Kids Worldwide. It has researched the problem and has found solutions, including safe infrastructure, education, collaboration and sustainability. Now that these solutions are being implemented, the students at Sivile have a better chance of getting to school safely.

I helped launch the project in May 2014 with the FIA Foundation's Road Safety Fund and our partners. For Janssen, the principal donor, the project continues its support for the Decade of Action for Road Safety. I was honored to speak about the initiative during my presentation at the Safe Roads | Safe Kids Global Road Safety Summit, when leaders from 30 countries met in Washington, D.C. at the end of last year to collaborate on helping our most vulnerable road users. What struck me then was the momentum that is building around the world to support our children. The Summit was an opportunity to learn from others. And at the same time, it was encouraging to hear that much can be learned from our communities in South Africa.

When I attended the launch at Sivile, I could sense the vulnerability of the students, but I could also feel a tremendous sense of hope for children in South Africa and around the world. Road traffic injury is a man-made epidemic and a serious burden on children and young people globally, but it is preventable. The vaccines for this epidemic are readily available: safe crossings, protected footpaths and speed restrictions, together with well-designed education programs. No child should be denied protection on our roads. With a clear voice we must call for global support to ensure that road safety becomes a development priority.

This is the message of "Save Kids Lives," the global campaign for children's road safety, which I've been privileged to help launch. It calls on policymakers to take strong action to improve road safety for children everywhere. The campaign has been gathering thousands of supporters since it was launched, and our goal is to capture 100,000 signatures for the Child Declaration by Global Road Safety Week, from May 4 to May 10, 2015. To help, visit http://ift.tt/1wPay1W.

With projects like the Safe Schools initiative and the Save Kids Lives campaign, we are walking the walk, demonstrating how much can be achieved if we work together. We know that lives can be saved. Let's collaborate and combat this leading killer of our children -- the most vulnerable in our society, but who we value more than anything else. Together we can -- and we must -- Save Kids Lives.

Editor's Note: Johnson & Johnson is a sponsor of The Huffington Post's Global Motherhood section.



from Healthy Living Blog on The Huffington Post http://ift.tt/1MuqZ1q

My Q and A With Insomnia Expert Gregg Jacobs

Gregg Jacobs is an insomnia specialist at the Sleep Disorders Center at the UMass Memorial Medical Center and the author of Say Good Night to Insomnia. In answer to my questions, he shared his insights on how human sleep patterns have changed over time, healthier and more effective alternatives to sleeping pills, and how to reverse our worst sleep habits and behaviors.



Describe your research on insomnia.



I have a longstanding interest in the relationship between the mind and health. My doctoral research, which assessed the ability of the mind to control physiology, showed that it was possible to use deep relaxation techniques to voluntarily produce brain wave patterns that were identical to the initial stages of sleep. My postdoctoral research at Harvard Medical School included research on the meditative practices of Tibetan monks. This research, conducted in a Tibetan monastery in Sikkim under the auspices of the Dalai Lama, revealed that advanced Tibetan monks possess remarkable control over their brain waves and physiology. This led to my efforts to develop a safe, drug-free intervention for insomnia, called cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia (CBT-I), over the past 30 years at the Harvard and University of Massachusetts medical schools. This research culminated in a landmark study, funded by the National Institutes of Health, showing that CBT-I is more effective than Ambien. Because few people have access to CBT-I, my more recent efforts have focused on making CBT-I widely available in an inexpensive, practical format through my website, cbtforinsomnia.com. Numerous studies have recently demonstrated that internet-based CBT-I can be delivered as effectively as face-to-face CBT-I and is more practical and cost-effective.



You've discussed the history of segmented sleep. Do you believe we have evolved past this pattern, or are our bodies struggling against us when we try to sleep in one chunk of time? How does insomnia relate to this?



Research suggests that we may have displayed a polyphasic (i.e., multiple periods) sleep pattern for virtually all of our evolution until the recent advent of nighttime lighting. Prior to that, humans likely went to sleep soon after dusk and awakened at dawn in longer sleep periods that consisted of alternating bouts of sleep and wakefulness. This non-continuous sleep pattern is characteristic of virtually all mammals and is also the pattern we experience early and late in life. It is only in adult life, and the last 350 years of human history, that a more consolidated nocturnal sleep pattern is apparent. However, many adults still experience polyphasic sleep in the form of insomnia, and regular intervals of waking are still experienced in normal sleepers today, as evidenced by six to 12 brief awakenings per night (which most of us don't recall, for they are too short). Evidently, this polyphasic sleep pattern lies dormant in our physiology, met an evolutionary need, and therefore may be adaptive rather than a sleep disorder.



In segmented sleep, how was waking time between the two sleeps spent?



In prehistoric times, it may have been spent tending to the fire, being vigilant for predators, in deep relaxation, for creativity and problem solving, and a channel of communication between dreams and waking life. Historical accounts suggest it was used for sexual activity and socializing, reading and writing, praying, meditating on dreams, or tending to the fire in the cold months.



Tell me about cognitive behavioral therapy, or CBT. How does this treatment for insomnia compare with other methods like sleeping pills? What successes have you seen among your patients, and how can others incorporate the strategies into their sleep habits?



CBT-I is the most effective psychology-based treatment for a health problem and has consistently been proven to be the most effective first-line treatment for chronic insomnia. It improves sleep in 75 to 80 percent of insomnia patients and reduces or eliminates sleeping pill use in 90 percent of patients. It is so effective that I am surprised if my patients do not report improvement in sleep, or a reduction or elimination of sleeping pills, from CBT-I. And in three studies published in major medical journals that directly compared CBT with sleeping pills, including my study at Harvard Medical School, CBT-I was more effective than sleeping pills. CBT-I also has no side effects and maintains improvements in sleep long-term, and new research shows that CBT-I doubles the improvement rates of depression compared with antidepressant medication alone in depressed patients with insomnia.



In contrast to CBT-I, sleeping pills do not greatly improve sleep. Objectively, newer-generation sleeping pills such as Ambien are no more effective than a placebo. Subjectively, they only increase total sleep time, and reduce the time it takes to fall asleep, by about 10 minutes. Furthermore, these small to moderate short-term improvements in sleep are often outweighed by significant side effects and risks, particularly in older adults. These include impairment of alertness, driving, and learning and memory (including sleep-dependent memory consolidation); increased mortality risk, as shown in almost two dozen scientific studies; and dependence, addiction, and activation of the same neurobiological pathways involved in drugs of abuse.



CBT-I is based on the idea that some individuals react to short-term insomnia (usually caused by stress) by worrying about sleep loss. After a few weeks of lying awake at night, frustrated and anxious about insomnia, they start to anticipate not sleeping and become apprehensive about going to bed. They soon learn to associate the bed with sleeplessness and frustration; consequently, the bed quickly becomes a learned cue for wakefulness and insomnia. As a result, they begin to engage in these types of maladaptive sleep habits, thoughts and behaviors that exacerbate insomnia that must be changed with CBT-I (sleeping pills are marginally effective because they do not change these behaviors):

• Negative, distorted thoughts and beliefs about insomnia such as "I must get eight hours of sleep" or "I did not sleep a wink last night."


• 
  
  
  


• Going to bed too early or sleeping too late and spending excessive time in bed.


• 
  
  
  


• Irregular arising times.


• 
  
  
  


• Trying to control sleep rather than letting it happen.


• 
  
  
  


• Lying awake in bed, frustrated and tense.


• 
  
  
  


• Using the bed and bedroom for activities other than sleep.


• 
  
  
  


• Use of electronic devices before bedtime.

from Healthy Living Blog on The Huffington Post http://ift.tt/1bNrcw9

7 Easy Ways to Boost Your Metabolism

By K. Aleisha Fetters, DETAILS

(photo: Eric Ray Davidson)




While marathon sweat sessions can certainly kick your metabolism into high gear, there's a faster, better way to rev up your fat-burning potential. Below are seven seriously simple moves that will slash through more calories than minutes.



"Your metabolism is the sum of everything your body does to convert food into energy," says Jim White, R.D., an American College of Sports Medicine-certified health-fitness instructor and the owner of Jim White Fitness & Nutrition Studios in Virginia. "So while you can't change how many calories it takes to keep your brain humming and your heart beating, you can help your body burn an extra 500 calories or more each day by implementing some easy lifestyle strategies."



1. Turn Down the Temperature



Your body loves to sit pretty at 98.6 degrees, so if you throw off your internal temperature, your body will burn more calories to raise it back to where it belongs, White says. In fact, researchers from Humboldt University found that drinking two liters of ice-cold water can up your metabolic burn by about 95 calories per day, while in a new study by the National Institute of Health Clinical Center, people who slept in a 66-degree room burned more than 7 percent more calories than those who snoozed at 75 degrees.



2. Pack More (Lean) Protein



A meal's not a meal unless it contains lean protein, says White. Why? Protein contains the amino acids your body needs to produce metabolism-revving, calorie-burning muscle. "Every pound of muscle gained increases your metabolism by 20 to 30 percent," he adds. Each day, aim to eat one gram of lean protein (from sources like chicken, fish, grass-fed beef, or eggs) for every pound of body weight. Vegetarian or vegan? Swap meat out for nuts, seeds, dark greens (kale packs a protein-rich punch), and, if you eat them, eggs and Greek yogurt.



3. Drink (Quality) Green Tea



Found in green tea, epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG for short) gets a lot of attention for its disease-fighting properties. But it turns out this little antioxidant can make a big difference when it comes to numbers on a scale. Research in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition shows that the compound can up your metabolic rate for a full 24 hours by increasing your energy production from digestion of fats. While a few cups a day should be enough to move the needle over time, that's only if you opt for high-quality brews. Cheap-o brands often don't contain enough of the fat-burning ingredient to increase metabolism, says weight-loss specialist and board-certified internist Sue Decotiis, M.D. Try Teavana Gyokuro Imperial Green Tea. Brewed from loose green-tea leaves, it packs 86 milligrams of EGCG per serving, the most of any teas studied in a recent Consumer Lab study.



See more: 5 Weird Signs You're Vitamin-Deficient



4. Add Weight for Less Workout Time



More muscle = less fat. But who wants to spend hours sweating it out with strength sets when you can opt for quick, high-intensity resistance training? Brief workouts using heavy weights can increase your metabolism by 452 calories for the following 24 hours, according to recent research in the Journal of Translational Medicine . That's 354 calories more than the increase experienced after traditional low-intensity strength training (and it takes just four sets of 8 to 10 reps).



Here's how it works: The harder your muscles work, the more post-workout rebuilding they have to do, which burns calories and elevates metabolism-revving hormones, according to researchers. The best part? In the study, the high-intensity resistance trainers completed only three exercises. Talk about time-saving.



5. Spice Up the Menu



Capsaicin, which gives peppers and spices their heat, can also fire up your fat burners. Eating spicy foods regularly can increase your body's production of heat as well as the activity of your sympathetic nervous system (responsible for both the fight-or-flight response and spice-induced sweating) by about 50 calories a day, which translates to a full five pounds of fat lost in a single year, Decotiis says. While cayenne, chili peppers, and jalapeños are great, the hotter the pepper, the better. The ridiculously spicy Korean pepper gochu (which just happens to be slang for "penis") is believed to have the highest calorie burn out there and is typically sold as a paste, called gochujang.



6. Sleep More



Not getting enough sleep affects more than just your energy the next day; it throws off your levels of leptin and ghrelin, the hormones that help regulate energy use and appetite. Research from Stanford University and the University of Wisconsin shows that regularly clocking just five hours of sleep reduces levels of leptin by 15.5 percent and increases levels of ghrelin by 14.9 percent. When it comes to a healthy metabolism, shoot for nine hours a night, suggests research from the University of Washington Medicine Sleep Center.



7. Eat Organic



As you already know, processed foods and nonorganic fruits and vegetables contain chemicals that can interfere with your body's basic metabolic pathways, says Decotiis. Glyphosate (a common herbicide), bisphenol (a plastic-hardening chemical used in canned-food linings and other food containers), and meats and poultry from hormone-fed livestock have been singled out for leading to obesity. Whenever possible, skip the packaged goods for fresh ones. Always choose organic versions of apples, bell peppers, celery, strawberries, cherries, lettuce, and pears over their nonorganic counterparts, which tend to have the highest levels of metabolism-stalling pesticides out there.



More from DETAILS:



The Only 5 Exercises You'll Ever Need



Shirtless Nick Jonas Explains How He Got His New Body



How To Get Rock Hard Abs Faster



Brad Pitt Is Back and Sexier Than Ever



The Hottest Vanity Muscles--And How To Get Them




from Healthy Living Blog on The Huffington Post http://ift.tt/1I10vBv

The Five-Minute Rule

From time-to-time, people who learn about the inside-out nature of the human experience begin to feel guilty if they partake in any sort of outside-in action designed to improve the quality of their lives. As one of my own mentors said to me, "taking action to improve your plight is like carrying Dumbo's feather -- it's just a way of tricking yourself into allowing what would happen naturally of it's own accord."



Where I am at the moment with the seeming paradox of taking outside-in actions to make changes in an inside-out world is as follows...



In my household, we are long-term practitioners of the "five-second rule", that well-known urban myth which states that in defiance of all known laws of biology, food which is picked up and placed in ones mouth within five seconds of dropping it on the floor is still germ-free and safe to eat. We kind of all know it's not true, and we do it anyways. I think it's because we were all so well brought up that it makes us feel rebellious to do something "wrong" and "dangerous", no matter how small. (Also, Nina's a really good cook...)



When it comes to my life, I follow something I call the "five-minute rule". Despite the fact that I know my experience is created 100% from the inside-out, and biologically speaking I can only ever feel my thinking and not the events of the outside world directly, if I can make myself feel better by taking five minutes or less of action, I'll usually take it.



For example, let's say I've been stressed out about whether or not there's enough money in my checking account for an impending purchase. I know that my feeling of stress is a direct reaction to my thinking and not to the actual balance of my account. After all, there are 23+ hours of the day where my bank balance is exactly the same and I'm not feeling stressed about it.



And I know that the longer and harder I think about it, the more of a big deal it will seem to me, AND I know that if I just let the worry thoughts pass, I'll invariably get new thoughts and those thoughts will bring new feelings.



So why don't I just carry on with my life and let the worry-full thinking pass?



Because I also know that if I take the five minutes to go online and check my account, I'll feel better. Not because my bank balance will necessarily be where I want it to be, but because I'll stop thinking about it and feeling all the feelings which come with those thoughts.



In five minutes, I can make an appointment with a doctor to check on a mysterious pain or lump I've been worrying about. I can respond to an email I've been avoiding, reach out to an old friend I've been ignoring, or make amends for something I've been feeling guilty about.



I can also take a self-directed action - do some deep breathing, say some affirmations, drop into self-hypnosis, or drop down and do some push ups.



I know that it isn't really my action that's changed my feeling, but I'm happy to take that action anyways. After all, it only takes five minutes, and the fact that it was just a "Dumbo's feather" doesn't mean I'm not flying at the end of it.



For all those things that five minutes of action won't fix, it's equally great to know that I don't need the world to change in order for me to feel better. I am living in the feeling of my present-moment thinking, and I love the fact that I can't accurately predict what I'll be thinking five minutes from now, let alone five days, five months, or five years.



Since I'm only ever and always feeling my own thinking, that means I'm as likely to be feeling good as bad, happy as sad, grateful as maligned, and inspired as distraught. I don't need to control my feelings to enjoy my life any more than I need to control the weather to enjoy my day.



I am not a victim of the weather not because I can control it or avoid it, but because I can always work with it and through it. And I need not be a victim of my feelings not because I can control or avoid them, but because I can always work with them and through them.



When I'm not scared of my feelings, (because I don't need to change them, avoid them, or act on them), I'm free to feel them fully. Unresisted sadness can be delicious; unbridled anger is like being one with a gale force wind.



But from time to time, I forget all that and I once again become frightened by own internal weather. My experience of the world looks all too real, and phrases like "it's just my own thinking and it will pass" seem cruel instead of comforting.



It's in those moments that I willingly and willfully ignore the truth of the inside out nature of the human experience and take five minutes to make a change.



With all my love,





For more by Michael Neill, click here.



from Healthy Living Blog on The Huffington Post http://ift.tt/1CIajwX

5 Simple Ways to Express Gratitude and Other Lessons I Learned From My Mom

Throughout our lives, we all need something and someone to believe in. We also need someone who believes in us. That was the role my mother played in my life.

I was once told that when you lose your parents you lose your fan club, and this is exactly the way I felt when my mom passed away six years ago. I can no longer pick up the phone and hear Mom's enthusiastic, "Good morning, Sunshine!" Nor can I call her for advice or tell her about my latest speaking engagement or TV appearance.

No one will ever care about my success quite the way my mother did. And with each passing day I see myself becoming more like her as I try to keep her legacy alive through my words and actions.

Whenever I do something nice for someone else, I think of all the kind deeds my mother did for others -- making soup for a sick neighbor, cutting and styling a friend's hair and making tray favors for hospital patients.

She loved practicing random acts of kindness long before that phrase was coined, and every day she looked for and welcomed opportunities to pass her generous gestures to others. My mother was grace in action.

In light of what my mother taught me, here are five simple ways to show gratitude every day.

Write in an abundance journal. Purchase a small notebook and keep it in your briefcase, purse or bedside table. Take a few minutes at the end of each day to jot down one or two positive experiences, or, alternatively, write down what you're grateful for at the end of each week.

Include small acts of kindness: a stranger who paid for your coffee, someone who held the door for you, a phone call or note of appreciation from a friend, client or colleague.

If you don't write down these small moments of happiness, they will be easily forgotten. When you keep a journal, you can look back and remember how much you have to be thankful for during the times when life doesn't seem to be going your way.

Express your gratitude in person. When a friend, colleague or client goes above and beyond, be sure to verbalize your appreciation. Go to their office or treat them to lunch or a quick cup of coffee.

When you make time for those who are important to your business, the lasting impression can be endlessly rewarding.

Show respect for those around you. Treat others with the same level of courtesy you expect to receive: smile, show kindness, exhibit patience and listen. For instance, the next time you make a coffee run in the morning, offer to bring back coffee for someone else in the office, too. Wash your coffee mug in the office kitchen rather than letting your dirty dish sit in the sink. If you see someone running toward the elevator, hold the door.

You know how nice it feels when someone takes a few moments to show kindness. Be that person to someone else.

Don't complain. When something terrible happens, it's natural to want to complain about it. You may become impatient with someone in line who takes too long to pay or moan to an employee about a difficult client. You may even complain to yourself when a driver cuts you off in traffic.

Every time you complain, you reinforce a negative state of mind without offering a solution to the problem at hand. Instead, next time you feel frustrated, take a few breaths and try focusing on something positive.

Volunteer in your community. There's a well-known secret among long-time volunteers: an act of kindness does more good for you than those you're serving.

Once a month, I take my therapy dog, Cooper, to the local library where the children read stories to him. After all, dogs are non-judgmental and they make great listeners.

If you're short on time, choose a volunteer opportunity that requires only an hour or two each month. Volunteering gives you something positive to focus on and is a great way to give back to the community at large.

For more gratitude tips, visit Jacqueline Whitmore's blog, http://ift.tt/14J3f59, or "like" her Facebook page.

from Healthy Living Blog on The Huffington Post http://ift.tt/1CIalow

What's Up With All the Honking?

Recently I found myself in a new city. I won't mention it by name, but if you're curious I will say that it starts with an "F" and rhymes with "Mort Mauderdale."



Hubbie and I decided to spend our one day there checking out the sites. Our specific mission was to find a new pair of pajama pants (resulting from an unfortunate "I-can't-believe-you-forgot-to-check-that-drawer-before-we-checked-out" moment upon leaving our previous hotel).



The day was a hot one, as tends to happen in Mort Mauderdale. And we all know that the heat can take its toll on even the best of us.








As we came to our first intersection, we watched as two cars turned in the same direction, attempting to merge into the same lane.



Both cars laid on the horn.



At the next block we saw the light turn green, and the lead driver was a bit slow to hit the gas. Which is apparently why the line of cars behind him...



...laid on the horn.



By intersection three we were curious. Would the trend continue? Sure enough, a car blocked the intersection while waiting for traffic to pass, causing a whole bunch of other cars to...



...lay on the horn.



We were puzzled. What was up with all that honking? And what did it say about the city of Mort Mauderdale?



And that's when we realized that the honking really had nothing to do with the city, or the heat, or even the cars that might have been at fault.



The honking had to do with the drivers who were doing it...the honkers if you will.



Now, to be fair I really can't judge too harshly on this one. I've certainly done my share of honking in this lifetime. Really, we all have.








But I also know what honking really is.



Honking is the opportunity to let someone know you're frustrated or angry, without ever having to face them in person. Honking is a form of passive aggression, and a somewhat cowardly one at that.



Honking is something that feels OK for many of us to do, but feels terribly personal when it happens to us.



Honking may create sound on the outside, but it happens because we're not too happy inside...and we need a release.



When you look at it this way, honking doesn't just happen in cars.

• Honking happens in social media, when we post something nasty about a place of business or an elected official, knowing we'll never have to look them in the eye


• 
  


• Honking happens when we shout nasty judgements at the celebrities or news reporters on our television sets, even though we don't know them at all


• 
  


• Honking is the snarky comment we make about a co-worker under our breath...the passive aggressive dig we give to our sister...the rolling of the eyes when the store clerk isn't moving fast enough

This kind of honking has nothing to do with those we're honking at...



...and everything to do with us as honkers.



What it really means is that we ourselves are frustrated or just feel bad in some way. It means that we are desperate to let off a bit of steam, to play the victim, to blame someone else for how we're feeling.



Sure, sometimes honking is necessary...like when a car drifts into our lane, or when a driver isn't paying attention. But we're not talking about that kind of honking.



We're talking about the bitter, laying-on-the-horn, passive-aggressive kind of honking.



The good news is that when we honk - inside the car or in another way - we've got a surefire sign that something is amiss in our lives. Which means we can then set about figuring out what it is and getting our lives back on track.



It's just up to us as honkers to take notice.



A few pointers for those on either side of the honking relationship...



To those who honk:

• Recognize what it means when you lay on the horn


• 
  


• Notice when you do it more, the patterns going on in your life


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• Understand the real reason you're all honk-crazy


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• Then try to make the problem better

To those who get honked at:

• Cut the driver some slack. He or she isn't in a good place. And you are. Because you're not honking.


• 
  


• Try not to take it personally. Really, it's not about you. (Unless you drive really terribly. Then it might be a little bit.)


• 
  

I tried to remember this during that hot walk in Mort Mauderdale, and it worked. Because in that moment I was not in a honking place myself.



Nor was I later...when our mission was accomplished so successfully.








This week...



Recognize your honking tendencies - inside and outside of the car.



Figure out what's really up with your honking.



Then make it better. Honk less. Feel happier.





PS: Special thanks to humboldthead for the baby photo and istolethetv for the pooch pic.



from Healthy Living Blog on The Huffington Post http://ift.tt/1EZ07gv

Finding Gratitude In Familiar Places

There is nothing for which I am more thankful than my "capacity to be grateful." This may seem a blatant effort to wriggle out of having to name one "thing" I appreciate most, and it is. But honestly, in my experience, the capacity for gratefulness truly trumps all reasons to be thankful.

The vast majority of us have reasons to be grateful galore. Just imagine: we have pairs of eyes, legs, ears, lungs and hands! If this isn't enough, we have a pumping heart and a mind-blowing brain; a blanket of skin, brilliant organs, and a host of finely-tuned senses -- never idle.

No matter what, our bodies are miraculous -- and so is the natural world. If we are really lucky, we also have people who care about us, a roof over our heads, access to water and food enough not to be hungry. It would land us in a veritable avalanche of awe if we took stock of how many reasons there are for gratitude in every moment. But even having an infinite number of reasons for gratitude does not insure that we will actually feel or be grateful.

Trust me, I know. Twenty-two years ago I was diagnosed with stage 4 cancer. For many of us who "cheated" death by surviving life-threatening conditions at a young age, life itself became the gift for which we swore we would feel eternally thankful. And it was true, in the beginning. The first few years of remission put the blessings of my life in very sharp relief. I was on "super soak;" every experience was saturating and I was a sponge. I told people I was living "acutely." Not sure how much more time was mine, I was awe-struck by most every moment, everyone and everything.

But, absent a well-developed capacity, anything wonderful can become conditional and transitory. For me, all those amazing reasons to feel blessed eventually joined the realms of the taken for granted, and what it took me to feel gratitude got more elaborate over time. With each passing year I built up a kind of gratitude tolerance; what used to be enough got left in the dust in the pursuit of more. I got busy and more "normal," joining my peers in chronically chasing goals and the fulfillment they promised. I martyred myself to work, complained heartily about traffic, body-fat and colds, ruthlessly compared myself to others, suffered with stress and got burnt out. Having cheated death, I began "cheating" life.

It is understandable. In our culture we learn to "belong" through myriad conversations about what is missing from our lives and what we need more of -- sleep, ease and love leading the way -- in order to feel the wellbeing we crave. We certainly, intermittently feel grateful when conditions are agreeable and our needs have been met -- something good happens, our gratitude arises. But gratitude can recede just as quickly as it comes; the present collects dust, friends disappoint, traffic lights turn red and the sun goes behind a cloud. Then, we crave, await, and/or orchestrate the next reason to feel good, and therefore grateful. In this sense, our lives become an incessant quest. We know this more commonly in our contemporary lexicon as "the pursuit of happiness."

By contrast, these days I am learning the ways that we can access a deeper, more reliable reservoir of happiness through cultivating gratefulness as a foundational way of experiencing life -- through living gratefully. As Brother David Steindl-Rast says, "It is not happiness that makes us grateful. It is gratefulness that makes us happy." Having occupied both sides of this koan, I know it to be true; I am far happier when I notice more of what I already have.. than when I have more, and neglect to notice.

Grateful living is a daily practice -- just as mindfulness and compassion are practices -- strengthened by learning to focus our awareness on the "great fullness" of the moment, as it is. We can intentionally direct our attention toward what is already offered, what is working, what is enough. We can invite a sense of wonder, and choose to see opportunities at hand. Even in the most challenging of times, there is the opportunity to learn, to love, to breathe. Fixing my awareness on what is available and possible in each moment, what is sufficient and sacred -- this reconnects me to a fidelity to life that is restorative. It also moves me to make a difference with what I have available to me. This is the capacity for gratefulness for which I am so thankful.

I do not want to waste my time wanting, and waiting for, reasons for gratitude. The gift of my life is at hand, and it wants me to be fully alive, and wildly grateful, now. And again now. Unconditionally. Because one day, as poet Jane Kenyon said, " ...one day I know it will be otherwise."

This blog post is part of a series for HuffPost Gratitude, entitled 'The One Thing I'm Most Thankful For.' To see all the other posts in the series, click here To contribute, submit your 500 - 800 word blogpost to gratitude@huffingtonpost.com.



from Healthy Living Blog on The Huffington Post http://ift.tt/1Mu94YC