Is Gratitude Your Attitude?

Point yourself toward the good things. Glance around wherever you happen to be and notice whatever gives you a little lift. The mood you carry lands on other people, both in how they read you and in how they feel standing next to you. I say thank you constantly. Why would I want to wreck someone's day? None of that means I never sink low or that nothing ever gets under my skin. When a conversation turns to someone and everybody is busy listing that person's faults, I'll mention what's good about them instead. The odd part is that people started seeing me differently. I've been told, more than once, that I'm a kind person. I'm not saying this to pat myself on the back; I'm saying it because when you shift, the way others read you shifts too.

Spend your attention on what you've got instead of what's missing. There's almost always some small thing worth being glad about, and plain things carry their own beauty. I live out where there's a lot of open sky, and I'll catch these soft white clouds hanging in deep blue overhead. Getting anywhere from here takes a while, so I try to make the drive something I actually enjoy. People slip up, on foot or behind the wheel. Is it my job to pile on with road rage? I'm content with a drive that ends without a scratch, and once I've arrived I stop rehearsing all the ways it could have gone wrong if someone hadn't been watching the road.