Gratitude

If the only prayer you said in your whole life was "thank you," that would suffice.
Meister Eckhart

I am sitting at my desk in the sun, right in front of an open window. The breeze is blowing, the sun is out, the birds are singing. Best part? It seems as though the annoying little woodpecker who took up residence right outside my window has gone to meet Jesus. Life is good.

I have been feeling so grateful lately. Every morning, just before I get out of bed, I try to think of five things that make me happy, five things that make me say, "Thanks, world!"

Let's get something straight before those of you who know me think I've lost my marbles. I am not, let me repeat, NOT a morning person. The snooze button is still my friend. Okay, maybe not exactly "friend," seeing as how I beat it repeatedly every morning. I am one of those people who sets her alarm for an hour before it is time to get up just so that I can hit the snooze button six times and feel as if I'm sleeping in. Yes, I have survived previous murder attempts by past roommates. Barely. I still text message my co-workers from under the covers, things like "What exactly are the requirements to work at Hooters?" or "Bartenders don't have to get up this early. I'm switching careers."

However, I have started spending the last five minutes in bed thinking of things that make me smile. It has been amazing to see the effect this simple little ritual has on my day. First, I notice many more things to be thankful for. A beautiful sunrise on the drive to work, chilled peaches at lunchtime, the shape of the clouds as I watch them on the playground. Second, I find that the more I say "thank you" for the things I enjoy, the more they start popping up everywhere! This proves the theory that "What you focus on expands." God, I love that.

Here's an example. I love Snoopy from the Peanuts cartoon. It's been a while since I've seen anything with Snoopy on it, as Peanuts has taken a backseat to SpongeBob Squarepants and Dora the Explorer. One day I thought about Snoopy, about how every time I see that goofy little cartoon dog I have to smile. That day at work, one of my students wore an old, worn Snoopy sweatshirt. (Sometimes God shows up as a little girl with messy curls and mismatched shoes!) At lunch, one of the PTA members came by to show me the suckers he bought for the Valentine's Day candy-gram fundraiser. Snoopy suckers! The next morning, before I came in to work, another teacher left a few on my desk. I keep them there as a reminder to take the time to say "thank you."

Gratitude is such a powerful thing. What if, instead of focusing on what's wrong in the world, we could be grateful for what is right? Grateful for the peacemakers, for the smiles from strangers, for forgiveness, for compassion.

What we focus on expands. ;)