Okay, here’s a relatively straight forward one for you. It means being grateful, thankful and/or appreciative. Here’s a description I plucked from online:
Immediately below that is an article from psychology today on how we can use gratitude to make lives better: “Studies show that we can deliberately cultivate gratitude, and can increase our well-being and happiness by doing so. In addition, gratefulness—and especially expression of it to others—is associated with increased energy, optimism, and empathy.”
Here’s the link in case you want to read it: https://www.psychologytoday.com/basics/gratitude
How nifty is that? We can simply be grateful and express that to others by showing gratitude and it makes our life and theirs better. This reminds me of the book by Robert Fulghum “All I Really Need to Know I learned in Kindergarten.” The book is full of simple, basic truths that hold on no matter what happens in life. It’s all basic tid-bits about being a good person.
When someone opens a door for you aren’t you surprised these days? Do you immediately smile and say thank you?! I do. I was raised that you hold the door for the person you see coming either in front of or behind you. What ever happened to that training? Did our generation fail to pass that on? If we did, shame on us!
It really isn’t difficult to do simple things to show each other kindness and to make things easier and happier for each other. A smile is usually all that is required. A wave and a smile as you walk or drive past someone, a nod of the head with a smile even, is a simple and kind gesture that spreads happiness. It’s true, try it out. I have and it really is contagious.
So then, showing our gratitude to others and saying thank you or paying them a compliment (that you truly mean) really can’t be that hard either. How many times have you been doing your own thing and a random stranger says something like “oh, that’s a really nice sweater” or “that color looks nice on you”? I often find myself captivated by eyes. If someone has really nice eyes I will have to let them know. I’m pretty sure it makes their day as every time I have spontaneously done this they blush and thank me. It just comes out. I don’t do it for effect, I do it because the thought crosses my mind and jumps out of my mouth. Fortunately this is a good thing in this example!
I do still have filters that catch the other thoughts that shouldn’t be spoken before they jump out – thank God! That’s a whole other topic.
So, what’s the point of this blog? I’d say it is to remind us that sharing simple acts of kindness, showing gratitude and paying each other compliments are all beautiful things to do. Why, then do we hold back from doing them? I do not know. Let’s all just stop that and start putting the good, kind and beautiful things back out there first instead of any of that other stuff. Sound good to you? Sounds great to me!
There’s my two cents for today!