There is a simple question that helps me to practice the second step of gratitude: “What’s my opportunity here?” You will find that most of the time, the opportunity that a given moment offers you is an opportunity to enjoy – to enjoy sounds, smells, tastes, texture, colors, and, with still deeper joy, friendliness, kindness, patience, faithfulness, honesty, and all those gifts that soften the soil of our heart like warm spring rain. The more we practice awareness of the countless opportunities to simply enjoy, the easier it becomes to recognize difficult or painful experiences as opportunities, as gifts.
David Steindl-Rast, Awake, Aware and Alert
photo alan murray-rust
Mindfulbalance 
Thanks Vicki for your kind words today, a frosty morning in Ireland, a long way from your heat in Australia. I think we are just trying in different ways to live in a more conscious manner, and reduce the gap between life and thinking-about-life; and I think your photos and attention to nature do that equally as well as any words I post. However, I am really grateful for your visits and your very frequent “likes” and your support, Karl
Love this post and have re-blogged it at https://vickialfordnatureblog.wordpress.com/2016/01/14/opportunities/
Thanks for sharing these wonderful quotes, I for one, find them very inspiring and uplifting.