Sunday's Snapshots: Gratitude as empowerment

My favorite thing about Thanksgiving is how everyone practices gratitude. For some people, it’s Thirty Days of Gratitude, and they will name one thing every day they’re thankful for, with no overlap. For others, they say just one thing they’re grateful for before tucking into their Thanksgiving Day meal.

Gratitude is so often underrated. We practice it only when reminded by a holiday that’s effectively the celebration of an oppressed people. But gratitude as a daily practice can be so healthy.

After my miscarriages, when I was in a deep pit of depression and self-loathing, it was the daily practice of gratitude that brought me back to myself, to my life, to recognizing just how much I had going for me when I felt so broken and worthless. Gratitude reminded me of my own agency.

Sometimes, gratitude is thought of as an elitist thing: of course you’re grateful, you have everything. But part of why we love stories like The Diary of Anne Frank and I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings are that they are stories of people who remain grateful in dire situations. Gratitude reminds us of our own resilience and gives us hope, a powerful motivator.

Gratitude is for everyone.

At the risk of sounding like a self-help guru, focusing on the things we’re grateful for is empowering; it gets us out of a fear and scarcity mindset and into positive thinking which expands our minds, rather than tamping them down. When we come at life from a place of expansion, it leads to outside-the-box thinking and courage.

So how do you practice gratitude daily? You don’t have to have a journal or the time and space for a walk, although those are wonderful ways to do it (I-step-am-step-grateful-step-for-step, becomes a chanting, moving meditation good for your entire body and mind, focusing solely on the positives in your life…and everyone has positives). All you need is a moment, really, a thought: I’m so grateful for the snow on the mountains reducing our drought, I’m so thankful for this gorgeous day getting me out to Island Park, I really appreciate the peacefulness of the river at this time of year.

Another simple practice, and one I’ve been doing for seven years, is right before bed, think of three things you’re grateful for. For some people this will be very difficult. For some people this will be easy. Three things, every night, and no repeats from one night to the other. In other words, if you’re grateful for a roof over your head, food on your table, and clean sheets on your bed tonight, you must think of three totally different things tomorrow night (an important rule because otherwise we may slip into “I’m thankful for my two children and husband” every night and then our gratitude awareness shrinks rather than expands).

Right now, I’m in Taos, New Mexico, for a family get-together. I’m sitting on an overly stuffed couch that’s not terribly comfortable, listening to a construction crew jackhammer the road. It’s a step down from the person practicing on their drum kit next door last night…or a step up, I haven’t quite decided. I have a view of the local mountains with a light dusting of snow that’s quickly melting as the day goes on. Ski season may be delayed.

But there are black-capped chickadees in the trees, my favorite. Family is all around, a blessing. We’re on a vacation, a luxury. Despite a migraine yesterday, and a migraine hangover today, I find myself grateful and that gratitude makes today the best day ever! Just like yesterday. Just like tomorrow.

I’m grateful for our local library for their 100 Books Before Kindergarten that welcomed my children to town with bags and shirts and books four years ago. I’m grateful for speed signs in town so crossing to the playground is a little less risky, and for a new playground at Ainsworth Park. I’m grateful for a gorgeous revisioning of Wild Goose Landing that will make the swim space safer for our kiddos while making the area more beautiful, welcoming, and usable. I’m grateful to live in a town that values all its residents regardless of age or income, with a food bank and free events throughout the year like the Winter Carnival. I’m grateful to live in a town with so many volunteers making all these things happen.

Gratitude is more than a one-day dinnertime thought or even a month-long nod. Gratitude is more than a way to recover from a horrible situation or event. Gratitude is a daily and life-long practice that makes a person empowered and therefore a community strong.

What are you grateful for? How does that gratitude inspire you?

Sunday Dutro is an internationally published writer living in Thompson Falls with her beautiful family. Reach her at [email protected].