(no subject)
believing in god is effectively personifying the workings of the universe. i prefer to personify the universe on a smaller scale: trees, my internal organs, and the bus schedule. if i am feeling grateful for how my life is moving, i thank the collective reactive matter of everything. i could name it god, or i could just use the secular words. i try to pay respect where it is due, and sometimes this means thanking the water or the sunlight or the apple that is there instead of the fictional creature that is not.
but sometimes it's still nice to personify the universe as a whole. it simplifies things. god is a nickname for everything. sometimes i pray. sometimes i just look upward and smile. sometimes, when i am dancing, i think about everything that is making me happy and acknowledge my fortune in being who i am, where i am, how i am. having a place to direct the gratitude you feel can help perpetuate those feelings. you become more mindful of the things for which you should be grateful when you have an imaginary friend to thank.
but sometimes it's still nice to personify the universe as a whole. it simplifies things. god is a nickname for everything. sometimes i pray. sometimes i just look upward and smile. sometimes, when i am dancing, i think about everything that is making me happy and acknowledge my fortune in being who i am, where i am, how i am. having a place to direct the gratitude you feel can help perpetuate those feelings. you become more mindful of the things for which you should be grateful when you have an imaginary friend to thank.