Practicing Gratitude

There is a lot for us to be grateful for, but it’s easy to forget how lucky we are to live here. We take the things and the people we see every day for granted. It happens. The holidays are a perfect time to reconnect with gratitude, to step back, take a breath, and appreciate all of the gifts we have.

We are grateful for the homes that we get to create with our clients. For the joy of well designed finished projects, that people build their lives around. It’s easy to lose gratitude when the pipes burst, the windows leak or the dishwasher breaks, and that’s OK. As long as we come back to a place of gratitude and remember how lucky we are to have a dishwasher, plumbing and proper windows.

It’s easy to say you’re grateful for your family, but that is also a broad, and frankly generic, idea to connect with. Get specific, dig into the details. Are you grateful for the dinner your husband made after a long day at work? Or maybe your wife packed your lunch so you didn’t have to think about it? Perhaps it’s the friend that called just to say hello. Sometimes, it's the little things that bring a smile to your face that make the biggest difference. 

If you’ve gone into the details and found the story that speaks best to your gratitude, but you still don’t feel it sparking your joy, try sharing. Sharing is scary and not something we are all inclined to do. Think of it as an opportunity to be brave. To be strong. Strong people share their feelings. And if there is even a chance that it could spread a little bit of joy and kindness to the people you love, then it is absolutely 1000% worth it.  

Practicing gratitude can help you sit at any table with people you may or may not agree with. It’s important to remember that we are all just people doing the best we can. And when we come to the table with that in mind, it’s a lot easier to find gratitude and enjoy ourselves and each other.

Happy Thanksgiving!!