WORDS: JEDDA CHALLENGER
PHOTO: PIXABAY.COM
Gratitude is an emotion expressing appreciation for what we have rather than focusing on what we don’t have. It’s a beautiful emotion that not only has amazing health benefits, but reaches out and touches other lives too.
It has been said that we should start each morning writing down five things we are grateful for, however small they might seem. Like watering a seed to break out of it’s shell to find the sun, in the state of thankfulness, we find ourselves breaking out of stress and depression and finding contentment and happiness.
Gratitude makes us feel good about ourselves and others. Which in turn, makes our memories happier. We become more sociable, friendly, understanding and compassionate; Simply because gratitude takes us outside of ourselves to recognize and acknowledge the source of goodness that makes us thankful.
It’s showing our appreciation for what we might have once taken for granted, while reminding ourselves we have much to be thankful for, and suddenly we realize we are not on our own, we never have been on our own. We reached this point from sharing a collection of experiences and kindnesses with others.
Just the simple act of saying ‘thank you’ is a beautiful expression of gratitude. It can fill us with optimism for a brighter future.
‘The essence of all beautiful art, all great art, is gratitude.’ Friedrich Wilhelm Neitzsche.
