Why Bother Counting Your Blessings?

Why consider our blessings? Why take note of the great and small benefits in our lives? What do we gain when we acknowledge how fortunate we truly are? Allowing  ourselves to take inventory of our daily, bountiful gifts fills our hearts with gratitude and spills over. Our gratitude creates a wave of gratefulness and splashes into the faces of others, waking them up to gratefulness.  

Mindful 

Being grateful begins by paying attention to the normal and the daily goodness we encounter.  When I set my automatic coffee maker at night, I get to wake up to the smell of coffee. Holding the hot, colorful cup in my hands, feeling the steam on my face and taking the first sip of the dark brew is how my work day begins. Seeing, smelling and touching are nothing that I take for granted, rather these senses arouse my heart to a feeling of gratefulness.  

I have a job that I mostly enjoy and am paid a fair wage. My co-workers spur me on in my profession so that I do not become stagnant. My students are lively, animated and unique, so every day has its own set of surprises. I get to go to a job that is both satisfying and challenging. Thinking this way about my work gives me the wherewithal to keep my focus and energy where it belongs for the duration of the school day. Having a grateful attitude energizes not only me, but all those big and little lives surrounding mine.  

Monday through Friday leaves little time for leisure, but my weekends open up at least a few hours for breathing space. I sleep longer in the mornings, linger over breakfast and read a good book later into the night. I don’t live for the weekends, but when they come around, I see and enjoy them for the gifts they are.  

Relationships are nothing we own, rather they are something offered to us. Some friendships are longer lasting, deeper and richer than others, but all have value. I am thankful for the one man in my life who remains faithful to me and to our marriage. When our union began, there were no guarantees of how long it would last, but our commitment to each other has lasted a long time. There is no one who knows me better and loves me in spite of all my obvious foibles. But, this lasting and happy marriage is one of the greatest gifts I’ve been given. 

Why bother counting your blessings? It is worth it to begin listing the goodness in your life. When you do, you and someone else will wake up to gratefulness.