Thankfulness

I had an interesting moment with a friend recently.  He thanked me for wishing him luck and I was taken aback, "why would you thank me, silly?  That is just what I do!  Thanking me is like thanking the air for giving you breath."

We both stopped and I thought about what I had just said.  Why not thank the air for its bounty as we would the Earth for its, a man for their sacrifices, or <insert any deity or belief or the universe> for our life?  These simple things we can so easily be thankful for are often left out.  Why?

Is not thankfulness its own reward?  Is not the emotion of thankfulness one that permeates the fabric of reality thanks to the power of our hearts?  I believe that being constantly aligned with this emotion is a great key to happiness and contentment in life.  So why the heck not?  

Thank you, air.  I enjoy breathing you.  I appreciate the trees from which you come from as they appreciate it and the animals that their air comes from.

I also enjoy my shower.  Thank you, shower.  You are a beautiful thing.  *goes to take a shower*