A thought on gratitude practice

Imagine this. You find a gift at your front door. You initially feel surprised. It is a lovely gift. It is something that you love. It is something you can enjoy. You are feeling loved, valued and very special. You definitely know the gift is for you. Receiving this gift fills your heart with joy and gladness.

There is just one problem, you don’t know who the gift is from. There is no card or any physical evidence of who has given you this gift. You start to think of who could have given you this gift, but you can’t figure it out. Because this gift you have received is an expression of love, you want to be able to respond to the gift giver with gratitude and thankfulness. Because you don’t know who the gift giver is, it doesn’t make you love the gift any less, but you are not fully satisfied. You love the gift, but you are not fully content in not knowing who it was.

Who could it be?

Perhaps why you are feeling this way is because there is a relational aspect to what is happening. There is someone giving the gift and someone receiving the gift. There is not a completeness or fullness to what has happened. There is one side of this relational exchange left unknown. You know the gift, but not the gift-giver.

Gratitude is a well-known practice in the psychology world. We know that gratitude has been shown to have a positive impact on our mental health. Practicing gratitude is noticing the good things in our lives. We acknowledge the good things we can enjoy in life and choose to be thankful for them. We can be thankful for good physical health, our job, our family and other relationships, travelling, food, pets and many other things. We can enjoy many gifts and good things in life. But where do they come from? Or who do they come from?

Gratitude is a good and beneficial practice, but how much better could it be by knowing the source of the good things in your life?

What do you acknowledge or who do you give credit to for the good things in your life? Do you credit yourself, your parents, your spouse, the universe, chance, karma or something else?

What conclusion do you make for why or by whom you receive and experience good things in your life? Similar to the story of the gift at the front door, who could it be?