When my children were little, they loved blackberries (they still do!). Whenever they accompanied me to the grocery store, the very minute they saw blackberries in the fruit section, they would each immediately grab a container for themselves. Blackberries are expensive, especially for me at that time as I was a single mother supporting two children, and I had to carefully watch my money. Inwardly I would cringe as I watched them dash over to the display counter to each grab a pack. $4.99 for a single-layer package of blackberries the size of a postage stamp. Multiply that by two, and I had a quick $10.00 added to my grocery bill.
When we were finished shopping, and had made our way home, the first thing I would do was to take the blackberries out of the shopping bags, wash them, and give them to the girls as a snack while I finished unpacking all the groceries and putting everything away. I watched them as they sat at the kitchen table, devouring their blackberries, with a look of pure heaven on their little faces. A certain feeling would take hold in my heart, and start expanding throughout my inner core. Was it satisfaction at seeing how happy they were? Was it pride, in the fact that I was able to buy the blackberries for them? I could never quite figure out the correct label to attach to the emotion I was feeling in my heart while watching their simple happiness over the blackberries. Looking back, I know now that my heart was filled with gratitude. I was grateful for their happiness.
The definition of gratitude is simple. Gratitude is a quality…a quality of being thankful and the readiness to show appreciation and to return kindness. If you’re currently going through a challenging time, you may be thinking to yourself, “Seriously? My life has just been turned upside down, so what exactly do I have to feel grateful for?” Well, we’ll get to that. Let me first tell you why practicing gratitude is so important….
Practicing gratitude is important because it helps us shift our thinking. Gratitude helps us stop thinking about everything that is going wrong in our life and helps us recognize the things that are going right. Gratitude gives us hope. Gratitude helps us see the beauty that is all around us. And the funny thing is, the more we express gratitude, the more positive our lives become. There are so many studies available for review that actually prove that expressing daily gratitude positively affects our physical, emotional, mental, and social health. If you don’t believe me, go to Google and type this in the search bar: why is gratitude important? Your search will return pages and pages of wonderful articles and studies listing all the life-changing benefits of practicing gratitude. Read them.
You may be going through a rough time right now, and it can be difficult to keep up a positive attitude. Believe me, I know…I’ve been there. I know it’s hard to look at the bright side when you’ve been through so many changes, changes you may not have asked for, and you’re on your hands and knees crawling toward the light at the end of the tunnel and hoping that the light you see isn’t an oncoming train. I also know that when you’re in that type of fog, it’s hard to see anything positive at the moment let alone practice gratitude. So let’s start small. Grab your journal, and make a list of the most basic things that are good in your life right now that you can feel grateful for. Your list might look like this:
I am grateful that:
- I have a great job that I enjoy
- My children are beautiful, healthy, and doing well
- I have beautiful, healthy grandchildren
- I am healthy
- I have a warm and safe home
- I have a car
- I have food in my refrigerator
- I have an intelligent and creative mind
- I have great friends that care about me
- I can see, hear, and walk
- I have wonderful opportunities ahead of me
And at the bottom of your list, write these words: Thank you, Thank you, Thank you!
Take a moment and look at your list. Really let it soak in. This first list is a great start in practicing gratitude. Every day, in your journal, write down at least one thing you are thankful for, and always add ‘Thank you, Thank you, Thank you!’ at the end. If you’re having a bad day, go back and re-read your lists to remind you of everything in your life that is going well. If you practice this exercise every day, in a short amount of time you’ll start recognizing little gifts and blessings that cross your daily path, and you will start feeling gratitude on a daily basis, which in turn will keep your thoughts and your general attitude at a higher, positive frequency.
Whenever I do receive little gifts or blessings from the Universe, I make it a habit to acknowledge them with gratitude. I’ve been doing it for so long that it this point, it’s become second nature. As an example, at the company where I work, finding a parking space close to the building is truly a gift. If I don’t arrive at work before 7:45 AM, all the parking spaces have been taken and I have to park in the parking garage. It’s a fair distance from the building, and while I don’t mind walking during the summer when the weather is nice, I really don’t like walking to the building when it’s freezing cold, or snowing, or in heavy rains. I tell myself, while driving into work, that I WILL find a parking space close to the building, and nine times out of ten, I actually do! I feel like the open parking space has been waiting for me, and as I pull in, I say out loud “Thank you, Thank you, Thank you!” It may seem silly, but it works for me as I am expressing gratitude over this simple gift I have just received, and I’m opening the door to receive more gifts!
I express gratitude over everything that goes well or when an unexpected gift lands in my lap. If I receive an unexpected refund in the mail, I express gratitude. Or, when one of my children, who are busy living their own lives, call me out of the blue just to chat or check in, I silently express gratitude that they thought of me during their busy day. The point is, when you get into the habit of being grateful even for the smallest of things, more good things happen to feel grateful for.
I also express gratitude when I’m out in nature, walking through the woods and enjoying a beautiful day. I do this through appreciation of my surroundings. I breathe in the air and smell the wonderful mixture of wood, green and earth. I see how the sun shines through the trees and notice how the light filters through the leaves and casts shadows along the path where I’m walking. I stand still and watch the squirrels play and chase each other, and notice how each tree is formed differently. This fills me with peace, and the beauty of my surroundings makes me feel grateful.
Because I have so many things to be grateful for, I enjoy returning kindness, even to strangers. Many times while I’m in the drive-up lane at Starbucks, I’ll pay for the person behind me. It makes me feel good to know that when they drive up to the cashier, they’ll be surprised to find out their coffee has been paid for. If I see an elderly person struggle to reach something on the top shelf at the grocery store, I ask if I can help get an item down for them. I do this because this is my way of trying to be a blessing in someone else’s life, and maybe make their day a little better.
Expressing gratitude begins as a conscious daily effort, but over time becomes second nature as you develop your own personal practice of gratitude.
Bold Soul Life 