As a kid in the church we sang this song, maybe you’ve heard of it. “Count your blessings, name them one by one.” It’s an old hymn. And I actually always thought it was kind of antiquated. As I got older it made me more than roll my eyes. I actually felt kind of angry about the way my family and the religious community we were apart of pushed gratitude, like the good things made the tragic ones any better. Does me being grateful for a roof over my head help the people who are homeless? Does me being grateful for clean water do anything about the tragedy that is the communities of the world who don’t? Well. Maybe it can. Gratitude may not be digging a well somewhere where freshwater is scarce, although if you can do that, go for it, but it might make you more mindful to be judicious with your resources.
Getting Older Makes Me Grateful
The more people I meet, the more trauma I see the more I ache for the world I am in. This is not why I feel more grateful, but it is a result. I know, not appealing right? But there is something really vital about connecting with the wider world. Listening to other people’s pain, struggling with it and feeling genuine care and solidarity for them. It can change you for the better. I’m not saying you should be grateful for your pain or theirs.
I can see how you won’t immediately want to say you’re grateful for something like Opiate withdrawal, Florida gators, or maybe you don’t even really feel grateful for intensive inpatient treatment because it was laborious and maybe even traumatic for you, but what I’m saying is there’s something healing in the fact that you’re not alone. Even though you wish you hadn’t needed drug replacement therapy, the people you met, the friends you made and conversation you had will sustain you for years. You may know some of those people for years. Other people struggle. Other people succeed. History projects forward and backward and you can see that you are a part of something bigger than yourself. that can put everything into perspective and can really motivate you.
It Can Make You a Better Version of Yourself
I realized at some point in my adult life that gratitude makes me a better person. Not a superior person, mind you, but actively and intentionally being grateful for that which I have and where I am in life, helps me acknowledge the privileges I have. It makes me thoughtful of the people in my life who help make it easier in small ways that they don’t even realize. It has even caused me to be more compassionate to those who before may have felt like an inconvenience.
Go Ahead, Count Your Blessings.
The #Blessed phenomenon can be an eye roller. That’s not really want I mean by “count your blessings”. Don’t really add them up, but making a habit of writing a list of things you really, honestly feel grateful for can shift an attitude from hopeless to hopeful. It can help you find a sense of positivity and profound motivation.
If you’re looking for a way to end an addiction that seems to have taken over your life, contact us as soon as possible. You’ll be grateful you did.
