The definition of Gratitude
the quality of being thankful; readiness to show appreciation for and to return kindness.
Generally, we all show gratitude when the need arises, or most of us do if we’ve been brought up with the ethos of ‘good manners’ but this blog is more than saying ‘thank you’ to the shop assistant, bus driver or person who held the door open for us. This is about gratitude for everything in our life on a daily basis.
Gratitude was all around me this last weekend as we celebrated my Dad’s 80th.
He’s a shy man so didn't want much fuss and to him his family matter the most so with the help of my two sister’s we planned to celebrate in a quiet fashion. By that I mean no party and no grand surprises. Instead we planned a lovely buffet, for 16 of us & had a ‘not so’ quiet get together! There were photos strung along the wall, a jar full of memories, gifts and cards too. We shared our chat & laughter, played some games and thoroughly enjoyed each other’s company.
So, what has this got to do with gratitude?
Going back to the definition, we were all together because we wanted to be! We appreciate each other! Like any other family there have been upsets and disagreements and there have always been long distances between us, moving away from the North East and Newcastle, we all know the A1 like the back of our hands but this weekend we came together once more.
I have huge gratitude for my home, I never take having a roof over my head for granted and I feel very thankful we were able to share it with everyone.
For having a table large enough to seat us all (at a squeeze)! It's a bespoke and made from scaffolding boards and gorgeous in a very simple way, the chairs are all second hand and mismatched and I love it all the more for that very reason, it's not uniform and I'm at my happiest when there are people sitting around it.
For having food and drink to enjoy and for that alone, we are very lucky, so many go without!
Showing gratitude isn’t just about saying thank you to someone it’s about appreciating what we have in life, however simple it may be, for me it was being able to factor a few hours away from R&R Therapy to plan and prepare, to enjoy what I was doing, knowing it would create happiness for us all, it's so important to do what we enjoy and what makes us happy, whatever that may be!
As a family, it was about showing Dad (& Grandad) our love and appreciation for being the man he is, for his support, kindness, belief and love and ultimately the kindness that continues to go between each one of us.
Dad sent me a text sending 'his appreciation for the hard work and effort, and for all the love that was threaded throughout the day'….to me the 'Definition of Gratitude' came full circle in 24 hours.
I write in my gratitude journal daily as part of my 'self-care' routine, it helps me to look at all the positives in my life, and something I should have started years ago. Initially it was very easy to do, there are many things to be thankful for, but following the book #themagic it asks for ten things each day, that got a little tricky for a very short period of time because you start to dig much deeper and that's when I noticed the shift and all of the things you take for granted you begin to appreciate and the gratitude comes very easy thereafter.
Gratitude is consciously there for my health, family, my home, etc but I am so, so grateful for so much more!
I would highly recommend reading The Magic by Rhonda Byrne.