Gratitude has become a buzzword in the last few years, the effects of practicing gratitude made to seem like the newest fad diet. That’s not to say I don’t appreciate the things that I have, that I am not blessed for life that I am able to live, but I don’t think we are utilizing it in the proper way. From a simple google search gratitude means a positive feeling of thankfulness for someone or something. In my view it seems like being grateful has become tokenized to a certain extent. A way to atone for the excess of our modern world.
If you are reading this post that means you have access to the internet, with access to the internet that means you have a phone or a computer. Reading this means you have had the education to be able to read, have had the schooling to put meaning behind the words you see on the screen. It means you are not simply surviving, but taking a moment or two to scroll social media or the internet. There are a million and one more things I could list that the average person has to be grateful for, that make our lives easier and more convenient. It is these exact feelings that lead me to think that while yes, none of these privileges should be taken for granted, is it truly the meaning of the word gratitude?
What about the blades of grass early in the morning, when they are sprinkled with little droplets of dew and you happened to see it right as the sun was rising and lighting the world aglow. Or the stars with the full moon, a cool breeze drifting around you and the sounds of cicadas playing their familiar melody. Sitting around a table of homemade food thoughtfully prepared, with family or friends laughing and talking. Kneading bread dough for fifteen minutes after combining the ingredients, baking it, and getting to eat a warm slice of fresh bread right out of the oven. A long walk through a park with your dog, silent but for the birds, the wind through the trees, the creaking of the woods and your own thoughts.
I think our modern world has taken gratitude out of the intended context. Painstakingly listing inanimate objects throughout your house and writing them down in a gratitude journal misses the entire point. The awe, the positive emotion, behind the feeling of being grateful. The moment your breath catches or when your mind stops, the indescribable feeling of being lucky you were able to be part of such a moment.
What I think the modern wellness and health industry has gotten right though is the power of gratitude when used correctly. It’s not an item to be ticked off a to-do list though, not just another habit to stack and routine to complete. It’s a powerful way to reflect on a moment of positivity when our world tends to only scream the negatives. It’s a force for good in your mind when you get lost in your own negative thoughts.
It’s naive to tell the chronically low energy person to just cheer up, it’s ignorant to tell the anxiety ridden person to just stop worrying, or the overwhelmed person trying to do everything to just take a breath. It’s pressure, it’s another thing that they can perceive as doing wrong. But, that is where gratitude can come in. The anxious person might not be able to stop worrying, but maybe they can take a slight reprieve when they look at a beautiful sunset with their significant other holding their hand and feel grateful in that small moment of time. The overwhelmed person can pause at a busy dinner out with friends and smile at the laughter and fun, and the overwhelm can take a backseat for a minute or two.
Gratitude is not about erasing the tough periods in life. There is no escaping those no matter how far we try to run. Gratitude is the pausing of a moment to accept a breath of fresh air. It’s not a magic cure all for the panic of society, checking it off your list in a robotic way every evening without any feeling behind it will only accomplish the small dopamine hit of checking something off your to-do list. Gratitude is being grateful for everything you experience. The good, the bad, everything in between. It is thanking our creator that we are alive and able to experience the emotions of life.
In our fast moving world, take the moments of gratitude as they come. Don’t brush them off to reflect on later, or try to scrounge up the feelings of thankfulness. Let them be naturally, encourage yourself when you have the moment, and let the power of gratitude slowly but surely make its way into your life.
