The Power of Gratitude
I missed out on writing my musing on Friday, 14th May 2021 and I felt bad about it because I had promised myself that I would write every Friday. There is something about Friday. It marks the end of the routine week and beginning of the weekend, offering people the opportunity to look forward to doing something different over the weekend than their weekday chores. It offers the opportunity to explore. It offers freshness. We have been made to believe that if we look forward to weekends it means we don’t love our jobs. In my opinion that is far from the truth. Even if we love our work we actually look forward to the weekend because of the possibility of getting creative with our time in a different way than the weekdays.
So, back to why I didn’t write on Friday. Nairobi had a lot of rain (amidst infrastructure development going on in the city) throughout the week, as a result we had areas that were badly flooded including our building basement. So, the lifts have been non-operational since Tuesday, 11th May to date. And that isn’t pretty when you live in a high-rise. In addition to that the main power station which supplies electricity to our area and a few others was submerged in water leading to a massive power cut in our building for approximately 19 hours starting Thursday midnight up to Friday evening. So, we were having a ‘field day’ (I hope you get the sarcasm) with our gadgets working on power saving mode and appliances not working at all. I couldn’t contact my loved ones who were suffering with sickness. The weather was so cold that the solar heater for the hot shower wasn’t efficient and no power so instant water heater couldn’t work. All this on a public holiday!
Oh boy! Did we all jump with joy like little children when the power was restored on Friday evening? That day I realized how much we take our basic amenities for granted. It is a blessing to have electricity which makes life workable. Usually I rant when my husband keeps the television running but that day I didn’t mind the sound of the box. I thanked my refrigerator for keeping my perishable goods from getting spoilt. Enjoying a hot shower is a luxury which we take for granted because it is available to us anytime, all the time. And I was reminded of the morning meditation by Louise Hay where she guides us to thank our furniture which comforts our body; thank our bed which keeps us warm & comfortable while we do our dream work throughout the night. She tells us to thank the plumbing & drainage system of our bathrooms because these are modern miracles which make our life convenient and only a century ago even Kings and Queens did not have this luxury. Here is the link to her beautiful morning meditation that you must try as the first thing when you wake up https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bc67Kh5un5s.
I usually practice Gratitude (by journaling) and also have a ritual at our dinner table where each member of the family says three (3) things that we are grateful for. But I had missed out on acknowledging these things which I celebrated on Friday. So, now I have new additions to my list of things to be grateful for. And I also understand Brene Brown’s quote better now – ‘Joy comes to us in ordinary moments. We risk missing out when we get too busy chasing down the extraordinary.’
So, why is it important to be Grateful? A Harvard study suggests that there is a link between gratitude and happiness. When you maintain a gratitude journal you feel better about your life. In positive psychology research, gratitude is strongly and consistently associated with greater happiness. Gratitude helps people feel more positive emotions, relish good experiences, improve their health, deal with adversity, and build strong relationships. Here is the link to the publishing :
It is a tried and tested method for me, so I can vouch for its benefits. Happiness is indeed a state of mind and practicing Gratitude is one of the master keys to it. If you don’t believe it, try thanking someone genuinely today and see their face light up with happiness. That’s the Power of Gratitude!
OK, I am grateful for our building lifts too (smile) & I hope we can have them operational soon. I appreciate so much more now. I am blessed; thank you Universe!
Much Love,
Rashhmi Yadav
Image credit – https://pixabay.com/
Great write up ,always maintain an attitude of gratitude in everything ??
Very true indeed!
The sense of relief and gratitude when I saw the lights flicker back last week after the long weary day ?..