Andre Hartslief
“Appreciation is a wonderful thing. It makes what is excellent in others belong to us as well” ~ Voltaire
One Size Doesn’t Fit All! One thing I’ve also learned is there are as many different ways to be grateful as there are things to be grateful for. For instance, I don’t necessarily go out looking for things to be ‘glad’ about. I don’t look for the silver lining in every cloud. I don’t believe there always is one. And I don’t use the phrase ‘at least’ as in ‘at least I have a roof over my head‘ because that feels like pretending I’m not thinking about the parts I don’t like.
Instead, I look for a way to see something that makes me smile in a situation. Or a way that makes me feel good because I looked harder than I might have. I look for where I can appreciate something but not necessarily have to own it. I seek out joy in the simplest of things in my daily routine. And I treasure every act of kindness and generosity that comes my way, no matter how small: someone holding the door, the guy packing my groceries who takes a moment to chat, my neighbor waving from her car every morning.
Countless occasions, every day, sometimes every hour. It’s my version of Gratitude. It might just work for you too. The point is, choose your own way of being grateful. The way that it isn’t a band-aid for bad days or a panacea for all ills. But in a way that brings you peace and happiness in your daily life. And the joy in your so-called ‘dull’ days.
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Do you use the phrase, “at least too much?
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Yes
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No
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What brings me peace each day is the squirrel that comes to eat bread I put out on the porch, the outside cats to say hello and the birds I see sitting on the write outside my window
Is there anything more splendid? Sandra, as habitats become reduced, animals are becoming increasingly reliant on the few caregivers like you to help them.