Gratitude

So, I've been reading W Somerset Maugham's The Razor's Edge, and wondering what the point of it all was. Don't get me wrong, it has been a page-turner, but probably due to that nagging feeling that it had to be going somewhere...but where? I crawled into bed last night after midnight, but still thought I should read a chapter. I was at the beginning of Part Six. It began with a short chapter about how Part Six could be skipped without losing anything of the story, but that part six was a conversation that inspired the author to write the book. FINALLY! I couldn't sleep now. I had to finish the section. In the last chapter of the section, I found this nugget: "If the rose at noon has lost the beauty it had at dawn, the beauty it had then was real. Nothing in the world is permanent, and we're foolish when we ask anything to last, but surely we're still more foolish not to take delight in it while we have it." This is a good reminder to be grateful and to appreciate every moment that we have. American Beauty said it best with: "...it's hard to stay mad, when there's so much beauty in the world. Sometimes I feel like I'm seeing it all at once, and it's too much, my heart fills up like a balloon that's about to burst... And then I remember to relax, and stop trying to hold on to it, and then it flows through me like rain and I can't feel anything but gratitude for every single moment of my stupid little life... You have no idea what I'm talking about, I'm sure. But don't worry... you will someday."