Pierce Through The Fog
There’s been some areas in Michigan (Ann Arbor in particular) that have been experiencing a good amount of fog in the mornings and evenings over the past week.
I’ve seen fog before, but this time was different.
First, the fog wasn’t overwhelming dense, but there was enough that you could notice. What I noticed and thought was most interesting was how the fog interacted with the lights throughout the city: streetlights, stoplights, car headlights, etc.
Here’s what I mean:
This was a streetlamp I took a picture of one night.
The fog almost enhances the light, producing a glowing ring around its source. At the same time though, the light’s rays pierce through the fog like a laser beam.
How could this be? Conventional logic tells me that fog would make it more difficult for light to glow and shine through, right? (If you know the physics behind this, please share)
As you can see from this picture of an intersection, this was not the case.
This phenomenon got me thinking.
Gratitude is like these lights.
The fog is the uncertainty, confusion, and struggles we face in our lives. And just like fog enhances the need for and effect of the light, our troubles and worries enhance the need for and effect of gratitude.
Isn’t that amazing?
Gratitude can pierce through the fog and the difficulties and hit us in our hearts.
I saw this live true time and time again this week. As part of National Gratitude Month (declared by my friend Austin & myself), I started reaching out to some of the great teachers I had in high school by email, thanking them for all they did and telling them the things I admired about them.
I wouldn’t be where am I without those teachers. We all have people like that in our lives: teachers, coaches, parents, friends, etc. Sometimes we forget to thank them though.
The teachers’ responses warmed my heart. One said I made him a better teacher. Another told me she cried from reading my email, and another said this:
“This job can get you down but then….wham…..out of nowhere a message like this that makes it all worth it.”
Then, something else surprising happened this week. I received an email from a friend with the subject line: “Encouragement/motivation”, and it said this:
I immediately loved it.
Without expecting it, I received three more emails just like the first from three other friends. I just sent my emails out for it earlier today, but I’m excited to see where this goes. My guess is that it’s only the beginning.
The end of the semester at college is a stressful time, putting many students in the fog. This email chain could be the light we need to keep going. Thank you for whoever came up with it.
This is the power of gratitude. Now, it’s your duty to use gratitude without reservation. Be the ray of light for someone who’s in the fog.
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