"Mom, did you know that when you smile, a person will smile back at you?" - My 4-year-old kiddo.
Every November we are reminded to be thankful. Families gather around the dinner table and, much to the chagrin of my children, are asked to take turns and say what they are thankful for. It really is a wonderful practice, but one that should happen more than once a year.
After a particularly dishearteningly thankless day with my three kiddos, I put myself in timeout. All day the three of them had been demanding, forgotten their manners, and were being, well, kids. Right before my timeout, the youngest, 3-years old at the time, had just thrown an epic fit because I asked her to help clean up her own mess.
Stewing in the solitude of my room, I wondered how I had failed them. How could they be so ungrateful for everything they have? Well, for starters, they are kids and not understanding how lucky they are comes with the territory. However, I was determined to make sure they started to consider all the great things they have more often.
That night at dinner, I announced to the family that each night, we would go around the table and say one thing we are thankful for. Caveat: it had to be something new each and every night; no repeats.
This new ritual started a dialogue about gratitude. My husband and I talked with the kids about what it meant to be thankful, and we talk about all of the things that we have to be grateful for. We talk about having ample food, clothes, electricity, heat; a roof over our heads and toys in their rooms. We talked about having gratitude for our current health and happiness, and for all of the love in our lives along with the friends and family to share it.
I regret that after a few months, the ritual faded until it finally stopped all together.
It's a practice that I would like to bring back with my family, but also with myself.
Seeking and truly feeling gratitude for your life is amazingly transformative. The magic is that you can apply it anywhere, anytime. For example:
- Caught in traffic?? - What a great opportunity to have time to bond with your kiddo trapped in the back!
- Had a rough day on the job?? - Find gratitude in having a job that helps you pay your bills and take care of your family. You can even find gratitude for those challenging days that help you grow and push you out of your comfort zone.
- Have to pick up your husband's dirty socks off the counter AGAIN??* - Okay, this one might be tough to find gratitude in, but hopefully you love him so darn much that you are grateful for the man that he is and can laugh it off.
*These are all hypothetical situations. Any resemblance to actual situations (living or dead) is purely coincidental.
I'm not saying that happy people go around with rose colored glasses accepting horrible jobs and dancing with their husbands stinky socks gleefully.
What they do is look for the bright side in situations and remember to take the time to be grateful for what they have instead of complaining or always looking for the greener grass. They remember to not take things for granted, but to find the good purpose in any situation.
I've already quoted her once in my short little blog, but I am such a Maya Angelou fan I'm going to just drop this right here:
"If you don't like something, change it. If you can't change it, change your attitude. Don't complain." - Maya Angelou.
Chose to change your attitude to one of gratitude!
Beginning today, I am going to add conscious gratitude to my day. At the end of my brain dump every morning, I'll wrap it up with three things that I'm grateful for. At the end of the day before turning out the light to hit the hay, I'm going to reflect on three more things that I'm grateful for from my day.
No comments:
Post a Comment