About two years ago I started meandering down the path of gratitude: at some point of the day I just down something that I’m grateful for.

Along this path, I’ve come across a few types of gratitude seekers, including the compare/contrast gratitude seeker. These are the people that are always like I’m grateful for X because not everyone has X. It sort of reminds me of the stereotypical dinner conversation of “Clean your plate. There are starving children in ______”

And just as the latter statement was the precursor to many an eating disorder, the former leads us to a false sense of superiority- I am better than you because you lack something I have...

I found out this week that a blogger I know lost a son to a tragic accident.

I can’t imagine saying I’m grateful for my daughter because someone else lost a child…

I am grateful for my daughter. PERIOD.

I am saddened by any family that loses a child. PERIOD

Just be grateful for what you have, not that you have more than someone else. Compare/contrast will just lead you to a life of dissatisfaction and regret.

Gratitude only works if you are truly grateful for the bounty before you…Otherwise it’s just pointless.

31 thoughts on “Gratitude Saturday October 10”

  1. I agree. I am grateful to have a job which uses my talents although every Saturday morning my feet ache and sometimes my back. I am grateful to be employed in the field I trained in. Some may do the job better but I am still new at the place and I am grateful for the opportunity.

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      1. And sometimes having a few more dollars to treat yourself is wonderful. I am only scheduled until January when the person on leave returns. It has been a challenge but I am glad to be back in the system once again.

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  6. I tried a gratitude journal years ago when they were first popular, (90’s?), but when I wrote down 5 things every night I was grateful for, I started to worry about losing those things, so I stopped. Maybe that’s just because I’m a weird worrier…..but it backfired for me.

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  8. Sometimes seeing the misfortunes of others can remind you to stop and appreciate what you have and be grateful for it. Sometimes life gets crazy and we forget so the reminder to pause can be needed. It is a very fine line before it becomes that “my situation is better ” type of comparison, though.

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    1. My husband and I discussed this at breakfast. It’s a fine line between thankful and smug. You have to own your own gratitude. I get what you mean about reminders, but at least once a day it would benefit all of us to think about what did go right…

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  9. I often wonder if my mother would have preferred a doting daughter, a special bond that no sons can ever come close to…………then again 😀 she should be grateful I spent 3 hours yesterday sewing a fiddly face mask with a mulberry silk inner, glad she wasn’t here to hear the %£&*@$^ language!

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    1. My husband I and talked about this yesterday. He really believes that the “I’m grateful for my job cause others don’t” method is sound. I don’t understand that

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