Satisfaction is the direct feeling evoked at the achievement of a desire. When that trophy sates ambition. When that burger sates hunger. When that partner soothes loneliness. When the feared scenario is evaded. This is Satisfaction. It is internal, automatic, and need not be conscious.
Appreciation is the recognition of the value in something, whether or not that be in relation to our desires. I can appreciate the value in the trophy that I desired, or in the effort I exerted to obtain it. I can appreciate the flavour and nutrients of that burger, or the people, plants, and animals that contributed to creating that burger. I can appreciate the companionship another person provides, the intrinsic value of that other person in itself, or the value in the fun of our own shared experiences. I can appreciate the advantages of the state of my life. This is Appreciation. It is internal, requires conscious awareness, and it can rise from the automaticity of satisfaction into such conscious awareness.
A Thank is an expression of appreciation. It evokes appreciation and passes it on to another, mostly to a perceived cause of our satisfaction, so that the recognition of value may be birthed into the physical world, either through gesture, word, or action. Thankfulness is the evocation of such expressions. It is external, may rise from conscious awareness, though it can also settle into an automatic, unconscious reaction of social habit and routine.
Gratitude is beyond all these. It lies beyond any of the above concepts, yet in a way holds them all, just as the sky holds all wind, clouds, and rain. Gratitude is the conscious connection, or reconnection, between our daily awareness and the mysterious primality of Existence. It is the remembrance that this Life is an opportunity to explore the world with infinite freedom, to collect experience in any direction we see fit, and to see us lead our ship, and grow and learn, as we play the role of the fountain of choices at every moment. It is the realisation that Being itself, independent of any external factors or experiences, is a sacred and undisturbed state, and that the mystery of Life, unblemished and all-encompassing, lies in the very core of every single satisfaction, desire, fear, action, word, joy, tragedy, and synchronicity that we experience. That those but make up our messy, muddy, flowing, lively playground, and that the essence of Life itself, latent in every moment, continues unblemished, and is what I truly am. It is internal, conscious, and though its remembrance may be triggered by any one particular satisfaction, appreciation, thank, or another experience, it is dependent on none of these.
The practice of Gratitude is the practice of remembrance of this core truth.
