I think Gratitude is awesome, of course. I mean, who could be against gratitude?
And while I’m on the subject – thank you for reading and commenting and receiving my weekly missives. I’m honored that you welcome me, and enjoy my thoughts on creativity.
Can you imagine a world, however, where no one ever felt sorry for themselves? I have a friend who was in a bad car accident, where she was hit in a crosswalk, broke her leg and foot. She’ll have a long recovery. Her first FB post, post-accident, was one of gratitude for the nurses and the outpouring of support she’s received since the accident. There was a man named Danny who held her until the ambulance arrived, and restored her faith in humanity. How could you not feel grateful to Danny? Even second- or third- hand?
And I admire her gratitude. And I know her well enough to know it is heartfelt. But there was certainly also a time when gratitude was not achievable. Do we admire her still? If she is merely being brave? Or even craven? Distraught? Needy?
Gratitude can be a force-fit. And I’ve felt angry at people who would demand gratitude. My Bullshit Meter was off-the-charts!
After all we’ve done for you…
You should be grateful it isn’t worse…
Always be grateful…
It can be hard. And your heart can be hardened to gratitude. But here’s the flip on that. You don’t have to be grateful for someone else. Even though you might not announce it on FB, you want to accept and love of all phases of your emotions. Even the scared, needy, angry times. It’s all okay. It’s all admirable, even, when you’re actively feeling these “icky” emotions and letting them pass.
Eventually, you want to find gratitude for yourself, and by yourself. Especially when you’re feeling sorry for yourself. Especially when you’re jealous or envious or downtrodden or fat or broke or living with a mean son-of-a-bitch, or feel like you have no choices.
And you do not have to express that gratitude publicly. And you especially don’t have to fake it. But you want to FEEL it. It is your narrow path forward. It is your heart giving you something to feel good about.
It is your future peeking into your now. When you are grateful, sincerely, it is a directional for your life. It is a sign of what makes you happy and overwhelmed with gratitude. Pull at those strings, and find more of that in your life.
We’re all sitting down to a big turkey dinner this week, with all the fixin’s. And all the family. And perhaps some friends or “funny uncles.” You may feel you can barely spare the time bec you’re behind in your NaNoWriMo writing.
The holiday can strike you as a rich and heartwarming, or a hypocritical display, as you sit and enjoy mashed potatoes and gravy. Either way, you want to find and articulate what makes you feel grateful, if only to yourself. Leave the hypocrites to their pie a la mode, and find what about it all makes you happy.
In creating a business or building a platform…
There are only two forward-moving emotions. Find your gratitude when you’re struggling. Maintain your humility when you’re succeeding.
No one should make you express gratitude, and you’re right to feel put out by the cheerful cancer nurse with a pink ribbon pin who tells you to be grateful. But in the long run, if you can cultivate gratitude, especially in hard times and dire situations, you’ll see your way forward, a path illuminated by your own heart.
HAPPY THANKSGIVING.