Quotation Notation
"Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life. It turns what we have into enough, and more. It turns denial into acceptance, chaos to order, confusion to clarity. It can turn a meal into a feast, a house into a home, a stranger into a friend."
— Melody Beattie
This month, I decided to write about the quote above in honor of Thanksgiving. Thanksgiving is a holiday that is about being grateful for everything you have. I think it is definitely an optimistic holiday and that it also brings about lots of "what-ifs" in a person's thoughts. People might ask themselves, "What if I didn't have a home?" or "What if I didn't have anyone by my side?" During Thanksgiving, all Americans: rich, poor, starving, stuffed, men, women, boys, girls, Democrats, Republicans; all of us look at what we have, whether a little or a lot, and we all say "Hey, things could've been worse."
Gratitude does unlock the fullness of life. By being optimistic, you open your eyes to a different world. You see things in a different light and learn to appreciate what you have. Without gratitude, humans will go towards the path of greed. They will crave more and more no matter how much they already have and no matter how lucky they already are. Remember that the next person may not be as lucky as you. We all have food, water, shelter, Internet and clothes. There are people out there who don't even have that but at many times, they are constantly being forgotten about.
And then, there are the people who are basically spoiled. They're the same people who don't understand that "you get what you get and you don't get upset". Maybe you didn't get the exact sweater you wanted for your birthday and got a totally different one instead. Instead of whining and complaining, think about others. There are people out there who can't afford a sweater and people who don't have any warm clothes at all. Try to look at life in their shoes and see how great your life is compared to theirs.
The message is simple. We can complain once in a while, and we all have our bad moods and bad days. But overall, try to look at the bright side of things. Make the best of what you have and appreciate it too. Look at life in a different perspective once in a while. It can go a long way. They say 'replace the attitude with some gratitude', and it's true. You can find a lot to be thankful for when you just take the chance. :)