I have much to be grateful for. I’m guessing you do too.
Most of us—when we intentionally pause and think about it—can come up with a long list of people and things for which we’re thankful.
But what about the rest of the time? What about day in and day out while you’re “doing” life? Are you grateful? Are you thankful?
“If the only prayer you say in your whole life is ”thank you,” that would suffice. — Meister Eckhart
It’s easy to let gratitude slip into the corners of our lives. Maybe around the table before an evening meal. Or when you’re writing in your journal before bed.
If gratitude is simply a readiness to show appreciation for something, then we have so many opportunities throughout an ordinary day.
- I’m calling Customer Service about the wrong item being delivered. Thank you.
- I’m taking out the trash. Thank you.
- I’m responding to emails from clients. Thank you.
- I’m doing research for a new vacuum. Thank you.
- I’m creating slides for a webinar I’m offering in the fall. Thank you.
- I’m texting with my sister about a new recipe we both tried. Thank you.
- I’m writing this blog post from a cafe. Thank you.
Now, that might seem like phony thankfulness or gratitude on autopilot. But what if it’s something else instead?
I’m grateful I had the money to buy something online. OK, they sent the wrong item, but that doesn’t change the fact that I appreciate having discretionary income.
Every few days I gather up our trash and put it in a little chute. There’s a very satisfying “thunk” when it finally lands at the bottom. I don’t have to walk our garbage down five flights of stairs. For that I am, indeed, grateful.
Whenever a client email lands in my inbox, I’m grateful. It’s not a burden to read and respond. It’s a privilege to be on this journey with my clients and I feel very lucky to be able to earn my living as a coach. I’m not at war with my inbox as I find it often rewards me with treasures rather than tasks to do.
Our old vacuum has given us many good years of service (thank you very much), but it’s tired and was purchased for a house with twice the square feet of our apartment. It’s exciting to research what we need for where we live now. I see it as yet another opportunity to “right size” something in our lives.
Creating slides for this upcoming webinar is both daunting and a delight. Daunting as in 200 slides and a delight as in getting to share a message I’m excited about, i.e., Energy is the real currency and it’s time to stop wasting yours. I’m excited about teaching this material because I always learn and grow through the process.
My sister lives in another state, so we don’t share a cup of coffee across the kitchen table on any kind of regular basis. But every now and again a conversation gets sparked and it feels like we’re right there together. I don’t downgrade the exchange because it took place via text. I’m grateful all the same.
I’m sitting in a cafe as I write this. I’ve made changes—some easy and some not so easy—to create this work life. I’m forever grateful I had the courage to leave a corporate job that paid well but came with too high a price. And I will always be thankful to the Love of My Life for supporting that decision.
Your gratitude list will be different from mine. But don’t save it for a special occasion or feel it needs to have grand, sweeping items on it.
Stop and scan your day. How are you thankful for what’s right in front of you?
