The Gratitude Bucket

To have and to hold from this day forward. For better, for worse.

I’m not talking about marriage. I am talking about Gratitude. How can we hold onto Gratitude when life is not going the way we want it to go?

Can we be grateful when we are dealing with the worst?

Living a life of Gratitude is a decision. As I become older, I’m noticing how much easier it is to handle life’s challenges if I live intentionally with gratitude. My mother taught me this.

Each day, as I write in my journal, I write five things I am thankful for. They are simple things like …

My daughter, Emily, called me to chat.

Chuck and I were the only ones in the restaurant at 4:00 for an early dinner.

My Chobani Sweet Cream was in stock at the grocery.

A nice man held the door open for me at the coffee shop.

I found the perfect Christmas Cards while browsing Barnes and Noble.

Writing these things in my journal makes me feel blessed. It’s as if those things are poured into my Gratitude Bucket, and my heart smiles.

Feeling grateful lessens my anxiety when all is not well in my life. Have I mentioned I am a worrier?

I often pray while walking through my neighborhood and downtown. Before I tell God of my needs, I thank Him for another day and ask Him to show me someone who needs encouragement. “Paying it forward” doesn’t have to involve money. It can involve a compliment, a kind gesture, or even a simple smile.

My mother taught me this. She focused on others, which helped keep her heart smiling. I rarely heard her complain, even when I knew she had things to complain about. She always said your problems will not seem so big when you are busy helping others.

Some people will always look for the worst in situations, while others will always look for the better. I choose to look for the better.

A little gratitude goes a long way. Life is too short to carry around a basket of negativity. It drives me crazy when I see so many people jumping on the social media bandwagon of negativity. Negativity breeds negativity, while positivity breeds gratefulness.

What are you carrying? It’s your decision what you have and what you hold. Is your Gratitude Bucket full, or is it empty? From this day forward, will your thoughts about being grateful make your life better, or will they worsen it? The decision is yours.

True contentment is not having all you want but being grateful for what you have. Never wish you had what someone else has. You have no idea what they went through to have it, nor what they are going through.

I’ve learned to mind my own bucket. I’m grateful for what is in it.

Janet Hart Leonard can be contacted at janethartleonard@gmail.com or followed on Facebook or Instagram (@janethartleonard). Visit janethartleonard.com.