Even now, amid a year and time filled with uncertainty which has taxed us emotionally, there are always reasons to be grateful. Breath, health, food, clothing, and shelter immediately come to mind. In fact, I believe more good and positive things can be gleamed from the things we perceive to be unfortunate setbacks–all it takes is a shift of our perspective.
When we take a step back and rationally receive a situation in its entirety, chances are we’ll understand it with more clarity and come through it with gratitude. You’ll appreciate the fact that it made you stronger and you learned from it. Even and especially during the moments when the negative aspects outweigh the positive aspects, an attitude of gratitude will carry us through. Life isn’t meant to be linear, where everything and every situation is a beautiful experience. Life as we know it comes filled with bumps, bruises, scars, and the myriad of emotions that come along with it.
Despite everything 2020 has hit us with, we haven’t allowed it to completely take away our joy and happiness. When we awaken each morning, we’re blessed with a new day and new opportunities to focus on all that’s good in the world, and to learn from the bad. At the end of each day, we’ve learned a little more about ourselves. We’ve realized that our wants greatly paled in comparison to our needs. If nothing else, this year has faced us to not only examine ourselves, but to be grateful every step of the way while doing so.
Charles R. Butts Jr. 