I’ve been making a point at the end of each month to reflect on all that I experienced over the previous 30 some days, it’s sorta like an inventory of the good, bad, and ugly. At the end I write down all that I was grateful for and more often than not there is a lot to be grateful for. This New Month Ritual has especially made me aware of all the people that I cross paths with who leave behind valuable nuggets of wisdom that inspire the path of my life… but they have no idea.
It got me thinking how rarely we express gratitude to one another. Why is that? Is there weakness in being grateful? Is there embarrassment? Why not tell the person who inspired a great idea through a mere comment on your instagram that you’re grateful for their interaction in your life. And the person that introduced you to a new experience that opened up an entire community that you hadn’t known existed… why not tell them that you’re grateful?
In asking myself this question I realized that expressing gratitude requires vulnerability and vulnerability comes with a twinge of fear. What you experienced as “good” could be someone else’s “bad” and expressing gratitude may result in a negative response or no response at all… but should that really stop me?
I’ve decided that it shouldn’t. I have a whole to be grateful for especially the people that “pass through” my life. The people that haven’t always been there but in the short time they were there they left a mark. The ironic thing is they leave this mark unintentionally, and often don’t realize their impact.
How would you feel if someone in your life expressed their gratitude towards you. I’m guessing it would be a heart warming experience, one that only comes from this exchange. It’s a reminder that we are all a part of a bigger interconnected web and each and every act has an impact somewhere down the chain.
If you’re reading this, I’m grateful for you.
Ritu
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