5 February 2016

LIFESTYLE: GRATITUDE

Photo Credit: Getty Images

"Piglet noticed that even though he had a Very Small Heart, it could hold a rather large amount of gratitude." - A.A. Milne, Winnie-the-Pooh

Even Piglet gets it!
The sad thing is that some humans do not get it. Now, before I go on, let me say that I am not comparing human beings to cartoon characters. On the contrary. I am human, and I know what it takes to stay alive. We all face the struggles, pressures from work, home, etc. I admit that it is not easy, only the strong of heart survive it in one piece. But that said, forgetting or ignoring to enjoy every single moment; the good, bad, beautiful, ugly, inspiring, and the not-so-glamorous moments will do more damage than good.
No man is an island. It is almost impossible to get through EVERYTHING life throws at us by ourselves, without help from someone. And because of the struggles of life, or because we think that it is the job of that person to do that thing for us, or, we think that the thing that was done for us is too little or simple, we then do not say even the littlest of thank-yous to that person. I have personally experienced it and I learnt from that experience. I had gone fabric shopping with friends, and while in one of the shops, my phone rang. I gave the fabrics I had picked to the lady that was attending to us so that I could get my phone out of my bag. I did get my phone out of the bag and made the call, after which I took the fabrics back from the lady and thanked her. By the time we were ready to pay, she added extra fabric to one of the fabrics I had picked. I drew her attention to the fabric as I knew that it the additional measurements would add to my bill. But she waved it off and said, "You are my friend now, this is my own 'thank you'. And that extra will not take from the next person's measurements."

That was what a simple 'thank you' did for me. We often take for granted the very things that deserve our gratitude be it in our personal life or our work life. We forget to see the things that our gratitude can achieve for us. Deepak Chopra captured it perfectly in this sentence, "Gratitude opens the door to...the power, the wisdom, the creativity of the Universe. You open the door through gratitude." An adage in my native language puts it succinctly, "E kele Okorie na nke omere, Okorie e me kwa odu o." That translates as, "If Okorie is thanked for what he has done, he will do more." The value of gratitude can not be over-emphasized. Especially for the little things. It unlocks a positive energy in and around us. It is a powerful process for shifting your energy and bringing more of what you want into your life. Be grateful for what you already have and you will attract more good things.
As the week draws to an end, we look forward to the weekend and our upcoming activities. Some of us are looking at our to-do lists while some just want to rest. But at some point, we ought to acknowledge the contributions of others to our lives. Good or bad, those contributions have led us to where we are at this point. Showing gratitude to those contributors by way of 'Thank you' for the good, or 'I forgive you' for the bad can do wonders for us, the way we feel and handle things. Companies understand this and have included sending thank you packages and notes to customers.
Sending flowers or cupcakes, or a 'thank you' note, or a simple phone call to say thanks can go a long way. It doesn't have to cost anything. It's the feeling that goes into it that matters. Remember it is not happy people that are thankful, it is thankful people that are happy.
Have a lovely Friday!


- The Lady



“It is a good thing to give thanks unto the Lord, and to sing praises unto thy name, O most High:”
Psalms 92:1

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