The thrownness that the existentialist experienced can actually be reinterpreted, rephrased as the gift experience. We didn’t chose this life but someone (chance, the universe, the laws of the universe) gifted it. This life is a gift experience. It might feel like a thrown experience at first, but once we interpret life as befriending existence, we might also start interpreting it as a gift, unwanted but given. And so everything that flows from this state of giftedness can be said to come from a gift or has an element of gift.
When we shift our mindset into seeing our thrownness as a gift, we become more appreciative and grateful for the little things. This mindset of sentimentality, that things are transient and so sacred, these are all emanating from the nature of things as gifts. Perhaps this explains the first of my top five character strengths: appreciation of beauty and excellence.
Example from 2022-12-23 seeds:
I saw the most heartwarming and heartbreaking scene a while ago. I wanted to take a photo of it but decided not to as it felt predatory and I couldn’t be prey to such a precious moment.
A couple sits under dim light on the bleachers overlooking the freedom park field. A dog sits beside the girl. A shi tzu. The girl caresses the dog’s fur. The couple looks at the dog—there silently enjoying the moment with the two lovers.
One day one of them will be gone. One by one. Tragically all at the same time. But this specific moment of which I was the witness. This is the reason why I feel awe every time I think about the thrownness nature of life.