Appreciation And Gratitude, You Are In Complete Control

December 10, 2022,

It’s the little things.

You should appreciate them.

A baby’s smile.

Kindness from a neighbor.

A free checking account.

Rain in Northern California.

Actually, the last one is a big thing. Very big.

We’ve learned to appreciate the little and large, simultaneously.

You?

If you have your health, a warm place to live, good food to eat, family life (may not be perfect), a solid paying job and friends, you should be super happy.

The trick is to appreciate it.

Take a moment and breath and appreciate it.

One of our friends really appreciates being retired. She is busy but if she wants to take an entire day off and watch Romantic Comedies, order take out, pop open a bottle of wine, all uninterrupted, she can do it.

What does appreciation mean exactly?

Gratitude, thankfulness, or gratefulness is from the Latin word gratus, which means “pleasing” or “thankful.”

It is regarded as a feeling of appreciation (or similar positive response) by a recipient of another’s kindness.

Including “Life” as the kind actor.

As the receiver or giver, appreciation can take the form of gifts, favors, or another form of generosity to another person.

From our view, appreciation is about not taking anything for granted that you could lose or have taken away.

Like the rain, in Northern California.

It appears that gratitude and appreciation are almost interchangeable and both can also be used in the same sentence.

The team at psychologytoday.com expresses, “Gratitude is the expression of appreciation for what one has. It is a recognition of value independent of monetary worth. Spontaneously generated from within, it is an affirmation of goodness and warmth.”

Well said.

The systematic study of gratitude within the field of psychology began in 1998 when Martin Seligman introduced a new branch of psychology that he termed positive psychology.

This new branch adds a new focus on the reinforcement of positive traits.

The study of gratitude in psychology has included an attempt to understand the short term experience of the gratitude response (state gratitude), individual differences in how frequently gratitude is felt among individuals (trait gratitude), and the relationship between these two.

Let’s get another point of view by walking over to the bookstore.

It has a personal touch.

A Simple Act of Gratitude: How Learning to Say Thank You Changed My Life Paperback – December 27, 2011

By John Kralik (Author)

“One recent December, at age 53, John Kralik found his life at a terrible, frightening low: his small law firm was failing; he was struggling through a painful second divorce; he had grown distant from his two older children and was afraid he might lose contact with his young daughter; he was living in a tiny apartment where he froze in the winter and baked in the summer; he was 40 pounds overweight; his girlfriend had just broken up with him; and overall, his dearest life dreams–including hopes of upholding idealistic legal principles and of becoming a judge–seemed to have slipped beyond his reach.

Then, during a desperate walk in the hills on New Year’s Day, John was struck by the belief that his life might become at least tolerable if, instead of focusing on what he didn’t have, he could find some way to be grateful for what he had.

Inspired by a beautiful, simple note his ex-girlfriend had sent to thank him for his Christmas gift, John imagined that he might find a way to feel grateful by writing thank-you notes. To keep himself going, he set himself a goal–come what may–of writing 365 thank-you notes in the coming year.

One by one, day after day, he began to handwrite thank yous–for gifts or kindnesses he’d received from loved ones and coworkers, from past business associates and current foes, from college friends and doctors and store clerks and handymen and neighbors, and anyone, really, absolutely anyone, who’d done him a good turn, however large or small. Immediately after he’d sent his very first notes, significant and surprising benefits began to come John’s way–from financial gain to true friendship, from weight loss to inner peace. While John wrote his notes, the economy collapsed, the bank across the street from his office failed, but thank-you note by thank-you note, John’s whole life turned around.

A Simple Act of Gratitude is a rare memoir: its touching, immediately accessible message–and benefits–come to readers from the plainspoken storytelling of an ordinary man. Kralik sets a believable, doable example of how to live a miraculously good life. To read A Simple Act of Gratitude is to be changed.”

We appreciate this. Very touching and believable.

Perhaps we can repeat this part over and over.

Don’t focus on what you don’t have, focus on what you have.

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Do you have good health? That’s a whopper. Really appreciate that one. It is so hard to enjoy life if you do not have good health. Take it from some of us who know first-hand.

One in our group survived cancer.

One more unique perspective.

A Life of Gratitude: 21 Days to Overcoming Self-Pity and Negativity Paperback – November 17, 2012

By Shelley Hitz (Author)

“During a season of transition in my life, I found myself overwhelmed with negative emotions like self-pity and a complaining spirit. It was as if a dark cloud had descended over me.

I prayed and asked God for wisdom on how to overcome these negative emotions. As I did, I sensed Him leading me to do a 21 day gratitude challenge.

Over the course of the 21 days, God began to change me as I spent intentional time being grateful for all I had been given.

I did this through writing in my journal each day and also sending a hand-written thank you note to someone different each day. This also led me to writing out 21 prayers of gratitude and compiling 21 stories of gratitude. I want to share what I learned with you in the pages of this book.

What to Expect On Each Day: Read my personal stories, struggles and reflections. Read one scripture and one quote about gratitude. Apply one personal application step from the challenge. Read one prayer of gratitude Read one story of gratitude Get Accountability and Encouragement Along with the 21 day challenge, I also started a private Facebook group to provide accountability and encouragement for myself but also for others who decide to join me in the challenge.

You will get access to this group as well. It has been amazing to see God at work in each of our lives. Will you join me on this journey to gratitude? Scroll up and click “buy” to embark on this 21 days of gratitude with us!”

Appreciation.

Gratitude.

There is so much in life that we do not have control over, good, bad and in between.

Stuff happens.