Gò0dNews for Everyone
Attitude of Gratitude by Angela Crielaard
I
will be the first to admit that I don’t always find
financial hardships, or even a death of a loved one.
myself seeing the glass half-full. Most of us are not
Even in those times, you can find some appreciation
naturally grateful in our lives. It is so much easier to
for that day as well. It is possible in times of despair
grumble and complain or think of aspects of our lives
and suffering that we can work to improve our
that are not going as we desire. Human nature causes
gratefulness. Use these times to remind yourself
us to focus more on what is going wrong in our lives
that we should never take anything for granted. For
instead of being thankful for the things that are going
example, if you find yourself focusing on your health
well. We find ourselves thinking more about the things
problems, just take a moment to look around at others.
we don’t have instead of feeling blessed for the things we do have. Going through life with a “woe is me” attitude only makes things worse. Our lives would be forever changed for the better if we could all take the negative energy and transform it into positive. I am not saying that it is an easy task by any means, but it is well worth a try. I do believe that if we exercise our “gratitude muscle” on a daily basis, it will in time become stronger. We all have a choice in how we face life’s challenges. We can choose to be content or we can choose to be dissatisfied. On days you find yourself feeling
I am sure that you will find someone who is dealing
disheartened, ask yourself— “What do I have to be
with far more than you are and for this, you should
grateful for today?” The answer can be something as
feel grateful. Life is very precious, whether things are
simple as the fact that you woke up that morning and
going smoothly or you have hit a rough patch, as we
are able to live another day. Instead of complaining
all do at times. Try thinking of the things you can do or
about that long drive to work in the morning, say to
the life you can live, not the things you can’t do or the
yourself— “I am thankful to have a car that takes me
life you can’t live.
to my job that I am fortunate enough to have.” worry at hard times in your life such as sickness,
28 // December 2021
About The Author
It is not selfish to acknowledge your pain or Angela Crielaard is blessed to be a wife and mother to three beautiful dogs and an aunt to many nieces and nephews. Angela enjoys spending time in her flower and vegetable gardens.
