Reproduced below is an article I read today in
Reader’s digest – Feb. 2009 issue. It reminded me of the time, about 4 years
ago, when I listed out over 100 reasons why I am the luckiest person, while going
for my usual morning walk from my son Vijay’s house in Baton Rouge.
Thank
you is the operative word
by
Deborah Norville
Some days you just want to stay in bed and hope
the world forgets you exist. David Patrick Columbia was having one of those
days. New to New York City he was worn down by the hustle and bustle, no longer
excited and proud about relocating as he had been weeks earlier. He’d imagined
himself a hot young talent taking the magazine world by storm, only to end up
doing a boring work as a low-level assistant on a barely making it salary. He
couldn’t afford his own place and felt uncomfortable sponging off a friend.
“I was rethinking everything – my ability as a
writer, my career choice”, he recalls. That Saturday morning, he wanted to stay
in bed. But no, he had to fetch a photo work.
It was cold, grey and damp when David headed
across town. “I don’t know what possessed me, but I decided to start counting
things along the way that made me happy,” he says. “I just wanted to see how
many pleasing things I came across.”
First on his list a mother walking her baby, all
bundled up in a stroller. “That little face just made me smile,” he says. Then
he saw a jet in the sky. “Flying has always captivated me.” And so it went.
From the sizzling smells at restaurants to eye-catching store-window displays,
David acknowledged one thing after another that brightened his mood. By the
time he picked up that photo he was feeling thankful he’d made the move to the
Big Apple.
“I was reminded that I lived in an exciting,
interesting and invigorating place”, he
says. “Whenever I’m feeling the down, I do this. It makes me feel better.” It’s
been more than 20 years since. David took his “walk of thanks”. Now he is a
successful entrepreneur in the media business and says his gratitude stroll
helps him stay focused to this day.
What if instead of wallowing in our misery, we
all chose to focus on being valued by a dear friend, for example, or the memory
of colleague’s face when she receives a surprise birthday cake at work, or the
smooth ride we’ve had to work in the
past week? As science is now proving, feeling grateful can actually make us
healthier, literally. Practising gratitude, acknowledging the blessings in our
lives and making it a point to recognize the good things can change us
positively. We’ll sleep better and exercise more. We’ll feel more optimistic.
We’ll be more alert and active. And if we do this over a period of time, we’ll
realize that we’re making progress towards our life goals.
