An Attitude of Gratitude

The curtains are almost closing in on the year. The holiday season is right around the corner. Perhaps Thanksgiving is set just before the end of the year to remind us to pause and be grateful for the year at least before we are carried away by the pomp of holiday festivities.

A popular quote reads, “What if tomorrow we woke up with only what we are grateful for today?” How much of what we have today would we retain? Gratitude is often misconstrued as appreciation for big things, like life, health, and income. But maybe we need to get into the finer details of these blessings in an effort to greatly appreciate them.

The strength to step down when we get up should make us thankful for life. The ability to chew and swallow food should prompt us to be thankful for a functioning digestive system thanks to good health. The availability of hot showers, warm blankets, and clothing should make us thankful for shelter and clothing. That we can afford this and that at our own convenience should make us grateful for an income. The ability to read a book should make us thankful for literacy
and intellect. To be able to plan out our day and week, unperturbed should make us grateful for peace and security.

Adopting an attitude of gratitude for the seemingly small things helps strengthen the gratitude muscle. This way, it becomes much easier to not only be grateful for the big things but also to acknowledge the bestowment of the blessing upon us.

Fostering an attitude of gratitude takes away our entitlement nudge as it helps us see that all we have is not a right but a privilege. It reminds us to be humble for we are always just a step away from a major life alteration. A disaster away from being homeless, a sickness away from being healthy and alive, and a paycheck away from being jobless.

Sometimes it is easy to focus on the negative stuff and often we beat ourselves up over the tough times we are going through. Eight out of ten times life may not have gone as planned. We may even be grappling to meet just half of our year’s resolutions, but two out of ten times things panned out great. No matter how bad the situation may seem, we can always be grateful for the perspective they provide to appreciate the positive happenings. The disappointments show us what matters the most, the pain for making us stronger, the tears for paving the way to express the pain.

During this Thanksgiving, may we remember to practice an attitude of gratitude, our circumstances notwithstanding, and even in the small things.