Me: "You are really tall for your age."
Her: "Thank you."
Me: "I like your ponytail."
Her: "Thank you."
Me: "Your dad is really funny."
Her: "Thank you."
Me: "Thanks for playing with my dog."
Her: "Thanks for letting me."
It was amazing to me that this little girl was so young, naive and probably not cognitively aware of how good she has it, yet she was so ingrained with gratitude. I, on the other hand, have studied the hardships of others for years and still take things for granted. A few examples are as follows. I don't always wave when people let me cut in front of them in traffic. I don't always say thank you when I am served at a restaurant or checked out at the store. I don't always show my gratitude when random acts of kindness come my way. I sometimes think of it as my right. I want to turn left, therefore I have the right to be in that lane. I am paying for my meal, therefore I have the right to be served. I was there, therefore I have the right to receive. These are not truths.
The truth is: I am a human being, therefore I have the responsibility to show gratitude.
My challenge this week is to be like that two year old and show gratitude for as many things as I can think of. I will not just say "Thank you." It will be a three step process. I will make eye contact, express my thanks, and mean it. I invite you to join me.
4 comments:
I love that! So true!
Allie you are great! I think of those things too. It is important that we show others we are grateful, and sad that more often than not, people seem surprised when you show this gratitude. I like to live by this quote when thinking about the impact these small gestures have, "It's not the world that I am changing, I do this so, this world will know, that it can not change me." It's good to surprise people with "goodness." If only more did it....
It's true... we would all probably be a lot happier if we focused on the things we're grateful for in life
I like this idea!
Of course the other danger is turning your grattitude into a habit, instead of really meaning it. I think I tend to do that sometimes. I just say, "Thank you" because I'm supposed to. So without thinking about it I just say it. Sometimes I overuse it to, like I'll tell a waiter/waitress thank you five times all in one visit to the table, but I can't help it it just comes out!
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