Finding Gratitude in the Less Than Pretty Ways
Kerry Purvis made me think about gratitude in a different way
I was reading through the stories that had been submitted to Clapping for the Underdogs, and I read a story by Kerry Purvis that opened my eyes to a new way of thinking about gratitude.
She wrote:
I created my unpretty list because I am bored with social media #Gratitude posts. They’re filled with pretty things like sunshine, rainbows, and cute fuzzy animals. I love those things, too, but I want to see stuff that isn’t pretty. Objects that make a real difference in our lives but aren’t interesting or Instagram-worthy. Topics that are important but would make a social media influencer cringe. Things that are unexpected and funny. That would be so refreshing!
And the first thing that she listed was a toilet plunger!
This really got me thinking about my own gratitude.
Now, I don’t expect to find gratitude for only the ‘big things’ in life. For a long time, I’ve been appreciative of the many, many small things in life that we have to be thankful for. A stranger saying hello, or complimenting me on a pretty blouse, or for wearing a cheerful, sunny color. A stranger holding a door open for me or stopping their car to let me cross in front of…
