When the Going Gets Tough
the tough get grateful
I know, I know. That’s not how the original saying goes.
Most of my words these days are going towards book editing, proofreading, and formatting.
Because it’s Thanksgiving week, our thoughts inevitably turn towards gratitude. At least mine do. I can’t help it, really. It’s just what ends up happening at this time of year. So I thought I’d share a few words about thankfulness.
Thinking about gratitude and actually feeling grateful are two completely different things, though. It’s hard to feel thankful when life gets tough.
How am I supposed to be thankful when I just don’t feel like it?
When I’m struggling with gratitude, practicing helps. Just like any other muscle I’m trying to strengthen, it’s going to take some intentional work on my part to make that gratitude muscle stronger.
My husband introduced me to the idea of keeping a gratitude journal several years ago, and it’s been a helpful practice for me. Through different seasons of struggle and disappointment, being intentional to write down the little things I notice that I’m thankful for each day has helped strengthen my gratitude muscle.
Here’s another saying I think I’ll change:
Practice makes…imperfect persistence.
Practicing gratitude isn’t going to make it perfect. But pushing through to find things to be thankful for when they’re hardest to come by helps shine a light in the darkness.
‘Thank you’ is the best prayer that anyone could say. I say that one a lot.
–Alice Walker
Until next time,
Becky
a few more words
Words on gratitude from the archives:
Loved listening to and reading this, Becky. “Imperfect persistence “, I love that. Wishing you and all yours are blessed Thanksgiving! We are celebrating with American friends here in the UK! 🇺🇸 🇬🇧💗