Being grateful often seems to fit into the end of our lives. We receive blessings; we say thank you. We form friendships, and we feel grateful. We reach the end of a productive period, and thankfulness sweeps over us. My issue with this is that while we wait to say “thank you,” other less positive emotions crowd in and can make us less content, less happy, and often miserable.
So, I find myself defending the general idea of letting gratitude be the central motivator of our lives. Don’t wait for something “good” to happen to be thankful; realize that your life is a train of things, one good thing after another, for which we ought to be grateful. We slept last night; thanks! We had breakfast, fantastic! We speak with friends or family; outstanding! And if we approach each of these episodes with hearts prepared to give thanks, the experiences we share with others, whether a cup of coffee, a chat at the office copier, or working together to make Thanksgiving dinner, become infused with the aroma of thanks, contentment, and grace. If there are aromas I want my life to be filled with, I can’t think of three more blessed ones. While I certainly commend that we act in our gratitude, saying “thank you” more often than just about anything else, I encourage you to always be on the lookout for blessings for which you are thankful. I can’t imagine you’ll ever stop finding things!
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