Attitude with gratitude



The Attitude of Mitakuye Oyasin

One of my dearest friends once told me that the single most important word in the English language’ve held onto that truth. For over two-thirds of my life, I’ve wrestled with deep sorrow over how we, as humans, treat the Earth—especially when it comes to trash. But I’ve come to see that when I let despair, depression, or even apathy take root, I only add to the harm.

Now, just a few years shy of 70, I find myself entering a season of life where things are beginning to break down—physically, emotionally, materially. And yet, I’m more drawn than ever to plant seeds of possibility, purpose, and potential.

My measure of quality in life is no longer about accumulation or achievement, but about contribution. It’s about finding that sacred sweet spot where I can be of service—where what I offer matters.

As a visitor here on this sacred Earth, how I leave it—and what I leave behind—matters deeply to me. I live with the intention to treat all things as precious, to avoid waste, and to cherish resources both physical and spiritual.

I’ve even made a quiet game of it: to treat people, places, and things with the highest degree of respect I can summon. The Lakota have a beautiful phrase—Mitakuye Oyasin, which means “to all my relations.” It reminds me that relationships aren’t just between people, but extend to all things—living and nonliving, seen and unseen. And that how I treat these relationships defines the mark I leave behind.

That’s why cultivating an attitude of service, of being helpful and beneficial, is essential to my spiritual survival. It is radical self-care in its truest form—not just tending to the self, but honoring the sacred thread that connects everything.

And yes, gratitude is the current that carries this attitude forward, the circuit that lights the way.



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