I posted a blog about "The magic of gratitude" late last year, and on my recent trip to Europe I very profoundly saw how much I was getting in my own way of being able to truly be grateful for every moment and savour the beauty of life.
Anyone who has traveled to and from Australia knows how far everything is from Australia, especially from Sydney to Europe. You spend a full 24 hrs travelling and getting the joy of spending a few days adjusting to the timezone.
I have done plenty of flights in my lifetime, in all 4 classes of travel, but this was the first time I felt true gratitude towards the flight attendants for the effort they go through to serve their customers. Even though I'd known the benefits and power of gratitude, I didn't necessarily feel true gratitude every moment in life. If anything, in most situations, especially where people were doing things because it was their job, I was puzzled as to how and why you would feel any gratitude. I always thought...
"well, it's their job. They're paid to do it. Why would I feel any specific gratitude for someone doing their job? They should be doing this."
However, on this trip it was different! My flight home was via Singapore, 12 hrs from London to Singapore and then 8 hrs from Singapore to Sydney. Given I would be landing in Sydney around 5am I wanted to make sure that I had plenty of sleep. I had a great sleep on my way to Singapore but wanted to make sure I got some rest on the flight from Singapore to Sydney. Having had plenty of English and European food over the last 2.5 weeks when I saw the prawn wonton noodle soup on the dinner menu I was willing to forgo sleep for this meal. When the flight attendant came around to take my order, I was disappointed when he said that they may have run out of the soup. He realised that I really wanted it, so he said he'd see what he could do and noted it down.
They came by and served dinner and as the attendant came past he said that he'd come back to me. I waited and saw they were serving second round of drinks so I assumed they'd run out and started getting ready to sleep. Just as I was getting comfortable he came around and said that he managed to find a spare one and set me up for the noodle soup. I was so grateful that he went to the effort of remembering that I actually thanked him specifically for remembering. In the past, I would have just thought, "oh that's great!" and just been happy with the outcome and thought nothing of the effort the flight attendant went to.
What surprised me even more was in the middle of the flight when I went to go to the bathroom, I felt so grateful seeing the flight attendants up, happily chatting away and smiling as I walked past. What I saw was no different to what I had seen in the past, yet how I felt about what I saw different. What's more, is that this in turn made me feel good. This gratitude was so positive, that even though I hardly got any sleep on that flight, it didn't bother me at all and just took it all in my stride.
I was really baffled by this change in attitude in me. Why didn't I feel this gratitude before? I was so adamant that these facts did not call for feelings of gratitude... where is this sudden feeling of gratitude coming from?
So instead of forcing myself to sleep I decided to meditate and reflect on this. What I suddenly realised, was that hidden behind my previous thoughts and attitude was a whole lot of pride, arrogance, entitlement and attachment to money. In my mind, I had thought that I was entitled to get this service. I had worked hard for the money that I paid to get this service and it was "their place" to provide me with the service and I shouldn't expect anything less. I was initially horrified at my own arrogance but then found it really funny that someone as irrelevant and insignificant as me (from the perspective of the Universe) had such arrogance. I simultaneously felt embarrassed at my discovery. This made me feel even more grateful for how diligently the flight attendance served their customers. Yes, it's true they get paid, but they didn't have to choose this as a job and they don't "have" to do it with a smile.
This is true in fact for every other work that people do. Yes, they individually somehow benefit from all the jobs that people do and may not be doing it if it weren't for those benefits. However, equally if no one chose to do those jobs, regardless of the reason, we wouldn't be able to enjoy the results of the work done.
By discarding my pride, arrogance, mind of entitlement and attachment to money, I naturally was able to feel and see more gratitude. The more I am able to discard and get out of my own way, the gratitude I will feel which in turn will just bring me more happiness.
What mind do you have that is preventing you from being showered with the feeling of gratitude? I guarantee you, if you're not grateful for every moment in life, there's something there ;)
True life is a life of gratitude.

I've recently done a 100 day gratitude challenge and it was amazing. I could see my biggest block is my expectations of wanting things to go a particular way... A mind of non acceptance
Love your reflection! And it helps me to reflect on myself, thank you!
Amazing, what you said about gratitude and sleep. I've had that experience also, when my mind has gratitude, it didn't matter if I didn't sleep as much.