Return to Gratitude

In our last reflection, I wrote the words, “When you’re weary,” several times because in this season the waves of weariness may catch us by surprise at times. Lingering on that theme, today my thought for us is: When you’re weary, return to gratitude.

If you have read my writing for any length of time, you know the practice of gratitude is something I hold very valuable. I believe there is so much power in being thankful for the simple and significant things around us. That being said, I often need reminding to be intentional about this in my own life. Recently, I found a new lens to name gratitude. 

On this particular day, I was feeling tired, unmotivated, and a little sad. So I did what anyone who doesn’t know how to let down does: I cleaned the house. As I folded laundry and vacuumed and scrubbed toilets, I began looking at the items around me and vocally being thankful for them. (I know - so cliché, right?) As I continued to do this, going from room to room, memories started to emerge from each location. Time spent with people I care about resurfaced. In my office, I thought of a time I laughed so hard tears were streaming down my face. In my living room, I remembered when I danced my heart out. In my kitchen, I remembered making fresh muffins for my neighbors.

Suddenly, I felt my mood shift and an ease come over my mind. And it made me wonder: How would this practice look in other environments? Consider the classroom, the office, the church, and so on. Return to gratitude in the daily moments we so often overlook, but in the end mean everything to us. How might you look at the world around you through a new lens of gratitude?