Gratitude IS like an addiction. If you indulge often enough it'll just grab you - "Here take another hit of this" as you notice a crow effortlessly glide by.
Too much gratitude can sometimes be off putting. I remember being called a "goody two shoes" in high school. Always cheerful, rarely snarky, it seemed to annoy some folks. Many, many years beyond youth, I still keep my criticism to a minimum, but I don't expect others to do so. There is a level of acceptance when others feel free to share their woes. Today, my practice of gratitude is an internal state of being rather than a chipper personality.
Here is a non sequitur, some days I am grateful to recognize how upset and stressed I am at a given moment. I am grateful to be in touch with myself and to appreciate who I am.
A Baptist preacher once declared, "God don't make no junk."
I think gratitude has to be balanced with reality. None of us are spared from really tough days.
If those around us never observe a range of emotions, they may interpret that as pretentious. I personally love being around people who are grateful / chipper, but if I don't see occasional normal fluctuations, my concerns go up - "what hurt or struggle are they denying ?" Happy mediums are usually a good place to aim for - maybe "chips with dips". Don't give up emanating your joy - the world needs it.
Thanks, Mark ... I so agree. We need a full range of human emotions. It's who we are. Forced chipperness in times of sorrow is just false. However, practicing gratitude over many ups and downs of life has taught me that "this, too, shall pass" and joy can be found in the tiniest things even when storm clouds roll through our lives.
I agree but would add - Gratitude combined with a "this too will pass" can be a life-saver. Assimilating this from someone or somewhere, is especially important for younger people who haven't experienced so many high and low tide - cycles.
Gratitude IS like an addiction. If you indulge often enough it'll just grab you - "Here take another hit of this" as you notice a crow effortlessly glide by.
Beautiful!
Too much gratitude can sometimes be off putting. I remember being called a "goody two shoes" in high school. Always cheerful, rarely snarky, it seemed to annoy some folks. Many, many years beyond youth, I still keep my criticism to a minimum, but I don't expect others to do so. There is a level of acceptance when others feel free to share their woes. Today, my practice of gratitude is an internal state of being rather than a chipper personality.
Here is a non sequitur, some days I am grateful to recognize how upset and stressed I am at a given moment. I am grateful to be in touch with myself and to appreciate who I am.
A Baptist preacher once declared, "God don't make no junk."
I think gratitude has to be balanced with reality. None of us are spared from really tough days.
If those around us never observe a range of emotions, they may interpret that as pretentious. I personally love being around people who are grateful / chipper, but if I don't see occasional normal fluctuations, my concerns go up - "what hurt or struggle are they denying ?" Happy mediums are usually a good place to aim for - maybe "chips with dips". Don't give up emanating your joy - the world needs it.
Thanks, Mark ... I so agree. We need a full range of human emotions. It's who we are. Forced chipperness in times of sorrow is just false. However, practicing gratitude over many ups and downs of life has taught me that "this, too, shall pass" and joy can be found in the tiniest things even when storm clouds roll through our lives.
I agree but would add - Gratitude combined with a "this too will pass" can be a life-saver. Assimilating this from someone or somewhere, is especially important for younger people who haven't experienced so many high and low tide - cycles.