by Rougayyah J
Gratitude. The act of showing appreciation and feeling thankful. I have heard this term many times growing up – from peers, adults, inspiring and motivating speeches. It seems like a simple concept that we often do – thanking someone for a kind gesture or action. Feeling thankful when you’re being celebrated or receiving a gift. However, gratitude can run deeper than a thankful moment (often fleeting). What is it really and how can one practice gratitude? The first thing to understand about gratitude is that this practice and habit may look different to everyone simply because every single individual lives in different vessels of life. Whether it is due to where they live, their cultural practices, norms, values and such. We are all different individuals, on a life journey vastly different from one another. There are, however, core values, needs and /or habits that we share – to function as human beings.
Once we break it down to the core of what gratitude is, the concept can be as simple as being thankful for basic life necessities. To truly appreciate the ability to breathe, feel the fresh air, consume food, have warm water, shelter, health, and other necessities of life. Sometimes we overlook these factors that are essential in sustaining us. We can even take a look into ourselves as beings – the ability to think, feel, and move. We can expand into ourselves as social beings – I get to see a loved one/friend, I get to interact with different people every day and expand my views on the world.
I like to use the I get to method. I get to go to work, I get to drive to my appointment because I get to see a doctor who will address any symptoms I may be experiencing – or to my dentist appointment to keep my teeth healthy. In a world where one individual for example may be dreading the fact they have to go to school and do homework, in another corner of the world another individual dreams of the chance to learn, to get school supplies, to go to school. In one corner of the world where a person may be used to the comfort of their room, in another corner another individual wishes they had a roof over their head and peace of mind/safety. By being aware and grateful this practice gives us a different scope of life. It encourages positivity, hope contributes to overall well-being. Gratitude also teaches us to be present in the moment and not to take things we have for granted.
Some time ago, I watched a movie called ‘Soul’ – where the character is focused on his lifelong dream of playing Jazz with a famous band. He is thrown in a loop when things do not go as planned and he spends the movie taking a glimpse into himself. In the end, he learns that his whole life isn’t just big goals, his career and such – it was the little things. The ability to have meaningful interactions with his family, his students (to whom he teaches jazz), the smell of fresh pizza from a local restaurant nearby, the ability to see the leaves change colour in the fall time during his walks, chat with neighbours, to live every day. That is the core of being human. To have lived and to be alive. Oftentimes, it may be as simple as that.
