Gathering Gratitude

Gathering Gratitude

Each waking moment is precious enough to be thankful. Yet, we lumber through our mornings not usually appreciative for waking up from sleep nor the crucial cup of coffee, which without, many could not start their day. We will damn our vehicles should they not start on a cold winter morning but never a peep of gratitude because it did. And, as our days unfold, we rarely acknowledge the transpiring mini miracles which are simultaneously occurring around us. As the day comes to an end and we are safe at home, haven eaten a warm meal, sipped a glass of wine and snuggling with our loved ones, ready to lie our heads on a soft pillow anticipating a restful sleep, our indebtedness to the day is reticent. We wake again with similar premise: To get through the day.

After a remarkably bizarre year of pandemic perversion and, in my case, a recent diagnosis of breast cancer, it becomes even more significant to write in my gratitude journal which I started several years ago after being inspired by an excerpt in “Don’t Sweat the Small Stuff” book. A daily account of gratitude is rare, and sometimes I may go months without an entry. But, when I have something to be grateful for, I write it down. Today I was thinking about “April showers bring May flower” which I am grateful for but then I just thought about a different kind of shower. Example:

Hot showers, to me, are one of the greatest things Man has invented. Not only to bathe, but to release one’s day into lather, rinse and allow it to drain away.

Dear Hot Shower,

You are my daily ritual. I rely on you most every morning to wake up and often every night to relax. I am a glutton for your warmth and how you make me feel clean, refreshed, inspired and worthy. Worthy of a good night’s sleep after a long day. You relax me. I SING! I sing loud and often with the tapping of your spray against the bath walls. I sound good! And when you are over, I am happy. Thank you for being there each day for me. Love, Annie

The conversation of gratitude of both big things and small, can and should be continued. Whether you think it or write it down, being grateful for something seems so much healthier and happier than to be angry and enraged. We have all endured a cruel reality this past year or so, pandemic, social issues, illness or other. But just like the crocus that begins to poke through the hardened, cold weathered grass each Spring, we always can find hope when things appear bleak.

Gathering gratitude is about remembering a good experience, an event or a person in your life. It can change our attitudes and actually improve our well-being. While this is not a novel idea, I am thinking about making this a weekly entry and would like your excerpts of gratitude to poke it’s head out a little. Possibly each week we can “Gather Gratitude” and share some personal stories of positivity and appreciativeness. Please contact me at lintons2@comcast.net to share your stories. I hope to bring gratitude to the forefront, and I am grateful for the opportunity to connect with you.