This Thanksgiving I made my first ever pumpkin pie, from scratch no less. Simple as it was, I felt grateful for the opportunity to bake. Not only do I have the means to bake a delicious dessert but the company to enjoy it with – and for that I am thankful. Often times we aren’t appreciative enough for the humble pleasures in life. There is always, always, always something to be thankful for.
Do you take for granted the things that most deserve your gratitude? What if you woke up tomorrow without the very things you overlooked being thankful for today? At closer examination, perhaps the way you’ve got it right now isn’t so bad compared to the stripped down version. Gratitude turns what we have into enough. Jealousy comes form counting others blessings instead of our own. All we have is all we need. All we need is the awareness of how blessed we really are and counting your own blessings infinitely multiples your happiness.
Understandably there are the critics who don’t easily warm up to gratitude, cynically believing that the world has beat them down and turned against them. Fair enough you may be dealt an unimaginable hand, but it is exactly at those times we must be most gracious. It shows strength when we’re thankful even for those things that we don’t immediately feel gratitude towards. The things that go wrong make us stronger and wiser for the next time. Appreciating that experience shows resilience.
Look for places to practice gratitude. Share a smile with your loved one. Nod to the person exiting the mall for holding the door and wave at the guy letting you in their lane during a traffic jam. Gratitude is acknowledgement. It is an action that we must put into practice every day. This weekend, just like every other Thanksgiving since I was a child, my Mom makes us pause and reflect. We aren’t allowed to scarf down our feast until we go around the table and say at least one thing we are thankful for. Even now I still think it’s a bit cheesy. But just as I stood there in the kitchen with hands covered in pumpkin puree I realize my great fortune. I have the hands to create it, the oven to bake it, and the roof over my head to serve it. Some people keep a gratitude journal. I don’t know if I would go so far as to that kind of homework but maybe once a day we should implement my Mother’s Thanksgiving ritual. Take a second to pause and give thanks, even if it is just for another day on this planet. It's as easy as pie.
Do you take for granted the things that most deserve your gratitude? What if you woke up tomorrow without the very things you overlooked being thankful for today? At closer examination, perhaps the way you’ve got it right now isn’t so bad compared to the stripped down version. Gratitude turns what we have into enough. Jealousy comes form counting others blessings instead of our own. All we have is all we need. All we need is the awareness of how blessed we really are and counting your own blessings infinitely multiples your happiness.
Understandably there are the critics who don’t easily warm up to gratitude, cynically believing that the world has beat them down and turned against them. Fair enough you may be dealt an unimaginable hand, but it is exactly at those times we must be most gracious. It shows strength when we’re thankful even for those things that we don’t immediately feel gratitude towards. The things that go wrong make us stronger and wiser for the next time. Appreciating that experience shows resilience.
Look for places to practice gratitude. Share a smile with your loved one. Nod to the person exiting the mall for holding the door and wave at the guy letting you in their lane during a traffic jam. Gratitude is acknowledgement. It is an action that we must put into practice every day. This weekend, just like every other Thanksgiving since I was a child, my Mom makes us pause and reflect. We aren’t allowed to scarf down our feast until we go around the table and say at least one thing we are thankful for. Even now I still think it’s a bit cheesy. But just as I stood there in the kitchen with hands covered in pumpkin puree I realize my great fortune. I have the hands to create it, the oven to bake it, and the roof over my head to serve it. Some people keep a gratitude journal. I don’t know if I would go so far as to that kind of homework but maybe once a day we should implement my Mother’s Thanksgiving ritual. Take a second to pause and give thanks, even if it is just for another day on this planet. It's as easy as pie.
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