It is often said that people do not
value things when they are in possession of it. Well not just things, but
Relationships, Health, Time, are some areas where we humans tend to take it for
granted!
Last week, I was going through my photo
collection, and came across a specific photo which brought back a great sense
of joy in me. It was a photo from our last holiday (which BTW happened in May
2019)! I realized it has been 2 years since we as a family took a vacation! In
May 2020 vacation was moving between rooms of our house, May 2021 was all about
vaccination! Thanks to Coro…Oops! Cannot even use it in a rhetorical sense,
this Covid is such a devastating disaster!
As I skimmed through the rest of the photos,
while momentarily travelling back in time, I was pulled back to reality by a
stark question! Why only certain occasion becomes memorable? I set my thought
process rolling… Why should I wait for a vacation to feel happy? Why is that I
need something extraneous to my everyday life to feel a sense of satisfaction?
As I implored further, I understood that
gratification is a state of mind. When you are trained to expect bigger,
better, more luxury, more pomp, your sense of gratification is bound to
diminish.
So where does gratitude kick in and why is it
important to practice gratitude.
This Covid and its economic side effects has
taught us many lessons in the way we approach life, but I feel the greatest
learning is evoking a sense of gratitude! 3 Square meals, 2 wheels to move, Fan
under a roof and Communication at fingertips might seem bare-bones to us but
remember there are people for whom even one of these is an ultimate dream in
Life!
In today’s context, every day, every moment,
every task, every meal and every interaction is a gift! Our ability to see the
dawn and dusk, hear the chirping of the birds, or even to be in a proper mental
state is a gift!
They say giving is the ultimate satisfaction!
But to reach there, the first step is contentment! And contentment comes from
being grateful! Not just to God, but to every soul around us! When we believe we
are blessed and lucky, gratitude comes naturally.
If we practice gratitude, every day will be an
endearing memory. Let us take a couple of minutes every day to recollect things
we have received. It can be as simple as safe home cooked food or enjoying 7
hours of deep sleep or chatting with our friends or a salute from our watchman,
smile from our neighbour’s son, Uninterrupted power supply, etc. We must try to
involve our kids and keep registering them how grateful we all are. Tomorrow’s
generation can overcome the greatest of problems if they have the right
‘Attitude’ and unfettered ’Gratitude’!