Grateful

It is hard to decide where to start when I try to count my blessings. Some certainly seem greater than others, but when I look at them as a whole they appear as if forming a web, rather than a hierarchy. They are all part of the structure of my life, each making that structure possible in its own way.

If I wanted to sound a little philosophical, I would say, first of all, that I am grateful for being aware of gratefulness. For the capacity to be grateful. We all possess that capacity, but probably do not utilize it as often as we should. To our own detriment.

Gratefulness is an emotion, or an emotional response. It is usually understood as an appreciation of something good in our lives. When someone does something for us or we receive something, it is a matter of good manners to thank the person for it. The words ‘thank you’ we might use when doing so are the verbal expression of our gratefulness or gratitude. But linguistic expressions can often simply be conventions and we do not always consider their true meaning when uttering them. People should not be blamed for falling into this trap. Normally we just do not have the time to think about every word we say. However, we should try and make as much time for that as we can. Because, I am sure you will agree, words do carry a certain weight.

Thus, when you have something to thank for, make the extra effort of stopping for a brief moment and paying attention to the emotions in you that accompany the verbal expression you choose to use. I would define gratefulness as those emotions. You can make this a little exercise. Take a moment to notice the gratefulness inside. I do hope I am wrong, but it seems to me it would be a rare sighting. Not because we are all ungrateful, but because we are rarely aware of those emotions. We simply need to bring our gratefulness to the surface.

But why bother, you may ask. Well, because it is beneficial to you. If I did not think it was, I would not advise it. People who are grateful generally feel more positive, which reflects positively on their physical and mental health. There are even scientific studies that confirm this. But in the case of gratefulness we do not really need scientific papers as proof of its benefits. By simply deciding to practice focusing on the good things in our lives and quietly appreciating them, we can experience those benefits first hand. I believe that the more we encourage ourselves to experience gratefulness, the more we will experience peace of mind, serenity, contentment and enthusiasm.

How we feel and think often reflects on how we behave and since our behaviour inevitably impacts others, it follows that it is not only the grateful person who benefits from gratefulness, but also those around him or her. Thus, for example, if you are grateful for the people you love, you will likely be grateful for the benefit of the people you love.

That is the direction I want to take, come rain or shine.