The Art of Gratitude

Photo Courtesy: Unknown

Recently we had my aunt over after quite some time. It was fun and all but she said a few words that have never left me since. She said, ‘I almost forgot how big your house is.’ Now, I know they’re not the peak of life changers or the golden slate of epic sayings and mind blowing statements but, they hit me like a bus. The point of this isn’t how big or small your house may be, but the simple majesty of what these words meant. And when I walked in to the sitting room after, I just saw how much.

Do you remember the first time you moved into your house, saddened by leaving your old house and excited and curious of the new all at the same time? Especially the first night where you see different shapes on your bedroom wall and you can ‘feel’ someone watching you. And lets not even get into the weird sounds you hear and start thinking that covering yourself with a blanket is somehow going to protect you from the forces that lie in the shadows of your shady walls…God bless the inventor of the night light.

Any who, moving in is something we all have gone through at one point in our lives. And at times, it’s pretty life changing, literally.

But once we’ve gotten the hang of the ropes, it’s all down cliff from there. Plus, the neighbors are known by then; rain check on the types this time. Some of them require an entire Encyclopedia to classify :-P And life goes on.

As the shapes become plain shadows, sounds a lullaby and homesick for the old house just good memories, what was once interesting about the house now becomes the norm. With time, your brain comes around to perform on you one of its many sneaky tricks: the “taking for granted.”

PS. If you’re into the rational sciency explanations of how the brain works, take a peek at this article here in which I elaborate some of its mechanics. It’s pretty cool. Almost makes you have hope of stopping from face palming at humanity again.

The thing about this trick though is that it’s absolutely normal, involuntary even (and sneaky). So for one to appreciate something of norm to them under this trickery, you have to consciously bring you and your mind to actively take notice of the features of appreciation over their notion of being ordinary.

Say the scent of your perfume or the sound of your heels. You become so familiar with it, so much so that you subconsciously filter the scent or sound to give room for other new senses. That’s why you don’t take notice of the clock of your heels every time you walk or the nose skewing scent of your perfume when you want to make sure you’ve sprayed enough.

For this reason is why those who truly care for you, will take amidst their busy work weeks and tiresome involving schedules, to appreciate you in one way or another or make it up to you somehow if they don’t. People like these know the value of what they are appreciating. Shout out to all them selfless loving hearts.

On that fateful evening anyways, I learnt that not only are favorite aunts awesome to hang out with and words can hit like the Mike Tyson version of a truck, but also that gratitude, is an Art.

Most of the problems we face in our lives drives us to a corner of thoughts, traps our minds and stresses us up. Sometimes even intoxicating all the spaces we know as safe to make you dodge any concept of them; Just need to catch a break you know; Some space. But amidst the chocking air and the demanding world pounding on your sanity, Gratitude is the hole that crumbles open to let in that fresh breath of air, the hatch that leads to the open fields or the back door that gives you a VIP pass back into the world…

Gratitude is like the painting that frees the artist from the burdens of veracity; raw in emotion, pure in expression; an imprint… A masterpiece. Gratitude is an art, and it’s beautiful…

They say that adulthood is like looking both sides of the road and getting hit by a plane. Fair enough 😂 But when you do, remember that not many a people get hit by a plane while crossing the road 😜 And that no matter how deep you are in an ocean of problems, you have this computer that you’re reading this article with, that phone you can share this with, those walls and the people in it that surround you to keep you safe, the comfort of your clothes to keep you warm and hearty… And that there are people out there with more heft and pressure on their shoulders.

And when you take time to appreciate how many things you are able to do with what you have, and others like you can’t, that is when you dig that hole or open that door. That is when you give yourself a break. For Gratitude is the mother of Patience and Patience, well, that’s what Invincible is made of…

So lets practice art. Let us be beautiful. Let us be artists of master pieces in the fine Art, of Gratitude 😊