Gratitude - A Story Of Expecting The Unexpected
When you practice gratitude, you are creating positive energy. You attract more positive people around you. The gratitude you have has the power to turn challenges into possibilities, you can look at problems in new ways. It will help you view things that are losses as gains. But gratitude is something that has to be practised every day and that helps us like a energy reserve so when something terrible happens we can still find things to be grateful for.
I stumbled across gratitude on a cold and frosty morning. I was on my way to a exhibition where the company I worked for at the time had a stand. I had been walking a few kilometres in uncomfortable shoes which is new never a good idea especially when you are going to be on a stand all day. I needed band aids and walked into the local convenient store. As I was waiting to pay I noticed a homeless man walk in he was cheerful despite the cold morning and he went to grab a coffee.
I said to the cashier I will pay for him as well. He was so grateful and thanked me with his head bowed down. He paused and looked me straight in the eyes and he then did something I completely did not expect. He said can I give you something I need a paper and pen. I turned to the cashier who was listing in and passed the paper and pen over. I remmeber thinking oh my what will he write this is exciting and unexpected.
He wrote:
YouTube
Stephen Yardley
The Lonely One
Now I was in a rush and I thanked him and could not wait to get on YouTube later that day. In the evening I finally had a moment alone, I listened to him singing on YouTube and it was a reminder that all we touch, all we read, all we watch becomes us. In a world full of negative news and social media we should all remember this. His act of kindness I will forever will be grateful for. When we practice gratitude and kindness we can expect the unexpected and learn so much.
We all know how good gratitude feels when we practice it. But do you know how good it is? According to numerous recent studies, including one from Harvard Medical School, an attitude of gratitude and being thankful has some amazing benefits. Gratitude can improve personal relationships, and contribute to lower stress, better immune systems and make us feel more hopeful. It has even been shown to improve patient outcomes when they are sick.
Gratitude is something we all have inside of us we just sometimes forget about it and it then becomes dormant. To really be grateful we need to practice gratitude, so it becomes second nature. Once we do expect the unexpected.
