Gratitude

As we are all facing this new normal, gratitude takes a bit more effort for us to focus on. Gratitude is an emotion expressing appreciation for what one has.  Right now, it is easy to think of all of the things that we are missing and to not notice the small things that we are grateful for.  I started to write this reflection for today and then stopped because I honestly was not feeling it – I was feeling many other things today and gratitude was not one of them.  I started to think of other words I wanted to write about and was going to keep “gratitude” for a day where I was feeling more thankful.  Fast forward to later in the day, I was working on a report and my kids were working on their schoolwork.  All of a sudden, we looked outside and saw snow flurries.  My kids got excited – it only lasted for a few minutes and then it was over but the energy of our day had changed.  It reminded me of an afternoon earlier this year when we did get enough snow to cover the ground.  My kids wanted to play outside in the little bit of snow that we had but there were other things that we had to do that day – I remember telling them – it is December, don’t worry, we will get plenty of snow this winter. I turned out to be wrong. There was no snow and they missed the opportunity to play outside in the snow for this winter.  The moment came and passed and we did not appreciate the opportunity that we had.   There is a lot to be said about living in the moment and having gratitude for what we have right now. In this moment today, I was grateful that my family and loved ones are healthy, that we are able to work from home, and that I was with my children to see their excitement over a few snow flurries.  Those moments will be few and far between as they get older.  There are many things about this time off that I am grateful for – midday walks with my kids, long conversations over bonfires, family dinners together, etc. These things would not be happening if it we were back at work, school, and afterschool activities right now.  I often wonder if I will look back at pictures from this time, especially as my kids grow older, and I will miss these small little moments that we were lucky enough to have together. Sometimes the stress and anxiety of our new normal now makes it hard to “see” these things.  There are many things we can do to cultivate gratitude – keep a journal and write down three things each day that you are grateful for, write “thank you” notes, cards or texts to people in your life and tell them why you are thankful for them, do something to help a neighbor in need, etc.  All of these will help us to maintain that gratitude lens and hopefully to maintain the relationships in our lives, even after this is over.  I recently saw this idea that a family shared and I think it is a great way to build gratitude. 

“We’ve started a new thing in our house today and sharing it in case anyone else wants to try. Every time we wish we could do something, go somewhere, treat ourselves, see someone we love, visit a new place, invite people to visit us, we’re going to write it down on a post it note and put it in a jar. When all this is over this will be our bucket list and we’ll work our way through the jar and be more grateful than ever for the little and lovely things in our lives. Until then we’ll enjoy watching the jar fill up with magical things to look forward to.” What a simple but meaningful way to appreciate the good that is around us.

My Reflections:

2 Challenges

• It is not always easy to “feel” grateful for what we have – it takes work and a mindset to focus on what you are grateful for.  
• I miss so many of the people and the places that are part of my daily life and it is hard not to focus on those losses.

2 Positives

• We have more time in our day to reflect on what we are grateful for.  
• I often feel that I am torn between a busy schedule and spending time with kids.  Now our schedules are less hectic, it is easier to have more time with both of my kids and I am grateful for this time together.

What can I do differently tomorrow to create gratitude?

·      I have been writing in a daily journal about the events that our happening around us and how I feel as our world is changing. I will start each entry by writing down three things that I am grateful for.  We have also already started the gratitude jar and it has helped when one of us wishes we could be doing something other than being at home.  

Your Reflections:

2 Challenges

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2 Positives

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What can you do differently tomorrow to foster gratitude?

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