Since I'm on the subject of gratitude, and it's been on my mind lately, I thought I'd just toss this out there.
All my life I've been a complainer. In my family growing up it was acceptable and possibly encouraged to make our opinions known. And we had many. (My sister-in-law has probably noted this as a down-fall as it very well may be.) Not only that, but we all must broadcast whatever ails us: I'm hungry, I'm not feeling so hot, Boy am I tired. I never thought anything of it until I met my husband who never mentions any bodily appetites and barely whispers a word of illness. That made me feel like a chump. (And when I heard my kids following my loud and more apparent ways of emoting, I decided it was time to change!)
The cure: GRATITUDE! Now when I'm upset about something, I try to see the smallest blessing. We started doing this in traffic in Tucson on the way home from school. Traffic is terrible in Tucson because there is no freeway system so all the cars cram the surface streets. Instead of complaining of the traffic or swearing at the guy who cut us off or passed us on the shoulder, we say something anchored in Gratitude, like, "at least we're in good company" or "at least we're not dead." Sometimes even saying it through clinched teeth makes us smile, if we can think up something really good.
During some recent trials this has been my key to happiness. It has helped me so much, I thought I'd pass it on.
No comments:
Post a Comment