Bo-Bo Knows Gratitude for: Gratitude

I know, I know. True gratitude springs from an overflowing heart. It's supposed to be as pure as icy mountain air and as warm as the patches of sun that woo cats to while away their quiet afternoons. And that's all good--a fine ideal to strive for--but for me gratitude is a tool. A powerful tool, but a tool.

Despite all the blessings in my life, I aspire to gratitude. By that I mean that my full understanding of the many things I have to be grateful about are too often--and too easily--eclipsed by complaints and worry. But I've found that I can scratch the needle off the record of complaint by transforming it to gratitude.

An example: When I get down about my job, I count the hours I spend from the time I leave my house until the time I get back, I focus on how my work schedule--evenings and weekends--means I can't take classes, teach classes, spend time with friends who work traditional hours, or even do something as simple as blow a Saturday farting around with my husband. The complaining doesn't change any of that, of course. It just makes me feel like I'm going through my day with weights sewed into the lining of my clothes. But I've found I can switch my thinking quickly by focusing on grateful realities:

1. In the shakiest economic downturn of my lifetime, I'm grateful to have steady income.
2. Though it's true this schedule is social kryptonite, I'm grateful for the opportunity to reconnect with friends who have non-traditional schedules.
3. I'm grateful that this job leaves my mornings free to write. By being able to prioritize my writing on my daily to-do list, I finished a first draft of a book and am hard at work on a revision.

If I just remember to trade complaints for thanks, my no-good-terrible-very-bad-days* are absolutely bearable. Gratitude is a bit like magic that way. And if that's not something to be thankful for, I don't know what is.


* With apologies to Judith Viorst