This week’s FFfT is early!!!
It’s turkey week! That means, football, lots of food and drinks, napping, shopping, spending time with family, maybe even a little complaining about family. ?
Don’t misunderstand that title. Being thankful is great but being grateful is better. Thankful and grateful are cousins and they are synonyms for each other. But while they may seem similar, there is a subtle difference.
Thankful is defined as “pleased and relieved”, and I can’t imagine anyone who doesn’t want to feel pleased and relieved. The difference is that pleased and relieved are feelings, while being grateful is defined as “showing an appreciation of kindness”, that is an action.
That is the difference. Being thankful is a feeling and lasts a moment. You thank someone for holding the door or picking up something that you dropped. Being grateful is an action and gratitude grows over time. For instance, ever have that friend that you can go weeks, months or even years without seeing, but when you do see each other it’s like no time has passed at all? They’re the friend you can call at any time when you’re in a bind because you know they’ll always answer. In turn, when they have a problem and need to talk it through, they call you and you don’t hesitate to answer. You show appreciation and return the favor for a good friend because you value their kindness.
This year has brought a mixed bag for me. I have lost friends, family and friends of friends. I have made new connections and as a result, my tribe has grown. I have learned a lot; some were good lessons and some were hard lessons. No matter what, I am grateful for all of it, the good and the bad.
To all the folks that have helped shape me in 2019, I am thankfully grateful to each and every one of you.
“I would maintain that thanks are the highest form of thought, and that gratitude is happiness doubled by wonder.” – Gilbert K. Chesterton
Have a great turkey day,
Vijay