I originally posted this article on March 24, 2020
Alice was on her way home after an exhausting day of running errands with her children. To say she was hot and tired would be an understatement. It was a day filled with one chaos after another, and all she could think of was to grab food from the closet fast-food diner.
Suddenly traffic came to an unexpected stop. The sound of sirens screaming in the distance. Alice strained to see what caused the stoppage. There was a four-car accident. Any other time, she would have applauded any small delay that gave her more time to spend with her children. However, today, she was not her usual perky self.
After several minutes, her son said, “Mama, let’s play the gratitude game! We can count all the good things that happened today!”
The daughter quickly said, “Me first—I’m thankful we’re not the ones in that car accident!
Alice couldn’t help but smile at her daughter. Then she joined the children and continued creating a list of things they could all be grateful to have in their lives. Afterward, Alice and the kids worked through their gratitude list while waiting for the wreck to clear. Alice realized she was no longer in a bad-tempered mood. She felt lifted and peaceful.
I am sure that, like Alice, you have days when you have trouble expressing gratitude. However, gratefulness has a multitude of benefits you can plug.
Gratitude Relaxes You
It is difficult to be stressed and grateful at the same time. While you can’t always choose the events in your life, you can choose to use your positive vibes and practice gratitude. It doesn’t matter where you are or what is going on in your life.
Gratitude not only relaxes you mentally, but it is also suitable for you physically. If you choose to be grateful, you can vary the perception of pain, including chronic pain.
Gratitude Directs You
It is a great temptation to see all the things you think are missing in your life. You don’t have a car you feel is as enjoyable as your friend’s. Your job isn’t as glamourous as another’s. You don’t have the finances like your friends.
But here’s some excellent news, you embrace gratitude, and it directs you in the direction that is most important to you, your family, friends, and your community. The relationships in your life matter far more than the material things you think you want.
Gratitude Rejuvenates You
Gratitude keeps you from slipping into an ‘I am a victim’ mindset. It prevents you from convincing yourself with things like, “I’m just a loser. Nothing works out for me, no matter how hard I try to have a good life. It’s never been easy, so why should I even try to make things work out?”
But when you express thankfulness for what you have, the chart flips, and the script changes entirely. No longer are you a victim in your story. Instead, you are the hero. You are the one who beats all the odds and gets to build that beautiful life you’ve always desired, and because of your gratitude for the small things, you can fill it with blessings and abundance.
Gratitude offers you so many beautiful gifts when you are willing to change your perspective and look at what you have. You never know; you might uncover the real treasure when you look at life through the eyes of gratitude!
Gratitude can change your whole life! As always, until next time, stay safe, and keep the faith.
