Gratitude in the Face of Difficulty

I was sitting in my office chair, staring at the ceiling, and trying to figure out what the hell I was going to write about on the topic of gratitude (our theme for this week). Life has been challenging lately — physically, mentally, emotionally, spiritually — and I’m not sure I’m ready to grapple with gratitude.

However, I know in my heart that I’m a lucky guy and I have so many things to be grateful for. Even though life is sometimes hard, there are still so many beautiful things that make it worth living.

Number 5

Here’s 11 things I’m grateful for:

1. My mind, body, and overall health.
2. I don’t have to worry about basic needs like food, water, and shelter.
3. I’m grateful that there are people who care about me and love me unconditionally. In particular, I’m grateful for my family, girlfriend, and best friend.
4. The freedom to do what I want and when I want to.
5. Being able to see the San Francisco Bay out of my living room window.
6. The opportunity to have traveled extensively and explored different countries and cultures.
7. Showers.
8. Plants, animals, and the other crazy cool things found on Earth.
9. The magic of modern technologies.
10. There’s always something new to learn every day.
11. The ability to make a difference in people’s lives.

Gratitude isn’t about happiness. Being grateful doesn’t mean everything in life is going smoothly. Gratitude means recognizing what we have right now and turning our attention away from ourselves and out into the world. The interesting thing about gratitude is that it can change our perspective and even make us feel a little lighter, even in the face of difficulty.

So, what is one thing you are grateful for? Anything we share in common? Leave a comment and let me know.