Gratitude is the quality of being thankful; readiness to show appreciation for and to return kindness. I have a group of colleagues who I don’t actually work with however through one meeting last year and none since, we exchanged email addresses. We are now in an email chain where were share our daily gratitude’s and there is only one rule. You cannot use the obvious. You are challenged to stretch beyond your imagination and be appreciative of the things you normally take for granted and stop and say thank you.
I’ve been doing this for over a year. Some people get real creative with theirs and send memes and other things to depict their gratitude. I usually come straight out with it. At first, it seemed hard to find things to name without listing the most obviously but then it got so easy I had to decide which three to share with the others. Yesterday, I shared one that got a lot of feedback.
I told them I was grateful for my mid-morning attitude adjustment. I woke up, I saw that I had a 9 am meeting and with whom and instantly got into a foul mood. Really foul. 2 minutes into the meeting the client said something that turned my attitude from 100 to 1. My day instantly got better. I KNEW that God had heard my prayer and I was so grateful that I didn’t let that situation ruin the rest of my day.
How many times have we bypassed the “little” things that we should be grateful for? I’m grateful when I make it to the car before the skies open up and my umbrella is in the back seat. I’m grateful for the times I order my food from a fast-food place and they actually get it right! That struggle is real!!! How about the times you go to McDonalds and the ice cream machine is actually working?
We should all be thankful and full of appreciation for our families, our lives, our jobs and our health. Having a roof over our heads and food to eat, of course. We have gotten so entitled and expectant of what it is that we “ought” to have that we don’t really appreciate the small things that we actually get.
How annoyed are you when someone you don’t really want to talk to calls you constantly to check in on you? The next time you get annoyed, think about the person who doesn’t have anyone checking on them at all. Our mindsets are geared to be self-encompassing. We miss the big picture of when there are people placed around us to fulfil a need, we may not know needs fulfilling. Gratitude is the quality of being thankful, readiness to show appreciation for and to return kindness.
It literally costs us nothing to pass out gratitude. When the cashier wants to double bag your grocery but you only want a single bag, be grateful that they thought enough about you to want to protect your food from falling through and kindly ask them not to do it. Seconds is all it takes. I’m guilty of reacting first and not always being grateful for someone else’s kind acts. And truthfully, not everyone has kind intentions when interacting with you. Your heart knows. Take a moment.
I’ll leave you with this. Here is what I am grateful for today. 1) Not being on hold with Verizon for a long time. As a matter of fact, they picked up right away. This is not typical of my experience with them. 2) Finding the perfect gift for someone at the last minute. I usually like to shop well in advance. 3) Feeling refreshed. I was plagued with fatigue for most of the week.
As you begin a new week, start to make it a habit of at least telling yourself what you are grateful for each and every day. You will begin to see that it will improve your mood and give you a greater appreciation of life itself. When we concentrate on all that is wrong, the negative energy drains us physically and emotionally. This is a good way to find balance. Sure, there is a lot going on and that is not to be ignored. The important thing about self-care is knowing you always have to find a way to counter the pain with joy.
Bonus: I am grateful always you are here and taking time to read and support me!
Until next time, be safe and be happy!
I love you all!
