Gratitude Means Noticing
the Blessings In Life

Gratitude, contrary to what we might believe, is not necessarily a sensation that overwhelms us in the face of blessings.

Gratitude is simply choosing to notice, and appreciate, all the good things that we experience in our daily lives. Whatever happens in your life, big or small, and even good or bad, you can choose to be grateful.

What happens to us is often not our choice, but how we react to what happens is always our choice- conscious or not. Being grateful means choosing not to ignore and take for granted all the wonderful things in our lives and our world.

By neglecting to appreciate the things that are good in our lives, we not only show a lack of gratitude, but we can actually fail to see and enjoy the blessings that life is giving us. If there is a beautiful sunset in the sky and you have the curtains closed, you will miss out on enjoying the spectacle that is on offer. We often fail to benefit from, notice, and enjoy the good things in life in this way.

Most of us are very good at noticing what’s wrong in our lives. We groan and complain bitterly the one day our car won’t start, but overlook the other 364 days that our trusty vehicle takes us wherever we want to go.

To enjoy everything that is good in your life and to attract more good things, start showing gratitude.

Be grateful to the people in your life. Give friends, family, and strangers a smile or a kind word. Think about the joy that others bring to your life in their words, actions, and simply their presence. Stop dwelling on the thing that your partner forgot to do, and start dwelling on the many good things that he or she does (if you can’t find any good things, then why the heck are you with this person?). Try to overlook the mess and noise your kids make, and think about the joy they give you.

Sure, there are plenty of things in life that can be frustrating, disappointing, or even downright painful. But, guess what? Dwelling on them doesn’t make them go away- it just brings them into focus and increases their ability to affect you. Here’s an idea- try expressing gratitude, even for the things you don’t want.

Personal story from last weekend- my family and I drove 8 hours to the South of Taiwan. We decided to drive back late on Saturday to avoid the Sunday traffic. Somewhere, midway through our journey along the freeway, about 11pm, the car started shuddering. We pulled over, thinking that our back tire was flat. As it turned out, the whole wheel was loose. We were fortunate that it didn’t come off at high speeds.

Realization sunk in. We were stranded on the side of the freeway, late at night with three small children, and no clear idea of who to call, or even exactly where we were. I decided that the best thing to do was to wave down a passing motorist. Ian had some doubts whether anyone would stop, but I was sure someone would.

After about five minutes of waving my arms wildly, a car pulled over from the middle lane and two men got out. Once we told them what was wrong, they called a tow truck for us and waited with us until it arrived about 10 minutes later.

While the tow truck driver was explaining to us that we would need to have the car towed to the next town, and that we might not be able to get it fixed until Monday, the police pulled up. The police officers were so lovely and helpful, trying to help us communicate the fact that we really hoped we could get the car fixed sooner. Eventually the tow truck driver managed to call a mechanic friend of his who said we could bring the car there right away, and that he would fix it the following morning if he could get the parts.

We went in the tow truck to the garage, and the police followed us there to make sure all was well. The mechanic drove us in his car to a local motel and arranged a good rate for us. The tow truck driver only accepted 2/3 of the price he had quoted us, and said to use the rest ‘to buy milk for the children.’

The next morning, the mechanic called to say that he was not having any luck getting parts and that he mightn't be able to fix it until the next day. He offered to drive us home (4 hours drive!) if we really wanted to take the kids home sooner. We thanked him profusely, but said that we would stay until the car was fixed. Just as we were making arrangements to stay another night, the mechanic called again. He hadn’t stop trying to get parts, and had managed to locate some. Two hours later, we were back on the road.

We were completely overwhelmed by the incredible kindness and generosity of the people we met. While we would not have chosen to have car troubles, the experience left us with far more good memories than bad. We spent a night ‘camping out’ with our kids, and it was an adventure for them. We were reminded in a very vivid way of the absolute innate goodness of people. If we were never in a position of need, we wouldn’t get to see so clearly how kind people can be.

By choosing to dwell on negativity and frustration in a difficult situation, you not only experience the circumstances, but you feel really bad about them.

By choosing gratitude, and to look for the good in any situation, you still experience less than desirable circumstances, but you can feel a whole lot better about them, and you can almost always gain something from an experience.

Whether it is learning, strength, or a renewed faith in the world and the people in it, gratitude can bring us many gifts- if we choose to accept them.

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