Gratitude

You hear the word being thrown around. For many of us though, we do not practice this, or truly value the meaning of the word, although we like to imagine that we do.

The meaning of the word is ‘the quality of being thankful; readiness to show appreciation for and to return kindness.’

One of my mentors and teachers recommends keeping a Gratitude Journal and writing in it daily. This has become part of my morning ritual and it forces me to think about the people and the things in my life I am truly grateful for. We have all been taught to say we are grateful for a roof over our heads and a tummy that’s been fed.

Which are absolutely items to be grateful for as so many people do not have that privilege, especially in our country and in our continent.

BUT there is so much more to be grateful for. We take advantage of our gifts, we brush over them, we complain, we get bitter. We long for more and get jealous of the people around us who have abundance of material objects.

But what about our eyesight that enables us to see their new car? What about our hearing that enables us to hear of other’s achievements? We complain that our car may not be the latest model. That on cold mornings it battles to start. What of those that have no car, no public transport, not even shoes on their bare feet? We moan that our colleagues are ungrateful, loud, obnoxious. Does not having colleagues mean that we are employed?

Gratitude is a journey and never a destination and it’s a practice well worth starting. Take stock. Have a look around. And count your blessings.

Be kind to one another.