GRATITUDE
My Gratitude Project
Dedicated to those who help me become my best self
About a month ago I tested positive for COVID. During my time in quarantine, I found myself binge watching every possible Netflix series I could stomach until my brain was overloaded with the antics of a lunatic vampire priest (Midnight Mass), a haunted childhood mansion (The Haunting of Hill House), the criminal exploits of a Columbian drug lord (Narcos), and a hysterical mother trying to rescue her son from supernatural forces (Stranger Things). By the end of season three of the latter, I was exhausted from both Netflix and the vitamins and over the counter drugs I was taking to heal my virus-possessed body.
It was the 5th day of my 9-day sequestering that I decided to push the off button on my television remote, take a much-needed shower and do some reflecting.
Several months ago, I checked out a book entitled “The Thank-You Project: Cultivating Happiness One Letter of Gratitude at a Time” from my local library. The author, Nancy Davis Kho, provides a wonderful blueprint for how gratitude and happiness go hand-in-hand.
She talks of writing letters to the people that inspired or made a significant impact in her life. She explains that while the recipients of her letters were happy to have received them, it was the process of writing the letters that gave her a sense of genuine gratitude and fulfillment.
For myself, it is the process of gratitude or of being grateful that helps me to be still and embrace the wonder of what is in every moment. Now, this wonderful sense of being in the moment doesn’t happen for me all of the time, but like everything else, it's a work in progress.
I have decided to make my first Medium post a short dedication to those who have inspired me, stood by me, given me strength when I was weak, and who have, and continue to, love me unconditionally. For this, and everything else, I am eternally Grateful:
To my family, especially my mother, who has always supported me and raised me up even when I had hit the bottom.
To my friend Carol Lennox, who has made no excuses, who has at times had to put her foot in my ass, but sees and knows and loves me for the person that I am, when at times I couldn’t see it myself.
To Dennis, for 14 years of love and friendship, for having the courage to let go when my dark became too much for us to carry on.
To all of the therapists who helped me try to heal a hurt little boy, so that he could learn to be a found man.
To my father and my uncle, the two most important men in my life. May they both rest in peace.
To all of the teachers that I have had the privilege to work with and learn from. May we always remember that even though education sucks and has gone off the deep end, we can still make a difference every day in the lives of our students.
To my circle of friends, close and miles away. May we always stay in touch, share our stories, tell our secrets, have each other's backs, break bread and spill the wine, always and forever!
And to me, for learning the process of being kind to myself and others, for waking up to loving kindness and compassion for myself, so that I may continue to be forever grateful for the little things in life,
and find peace,
and be truly happy!
