Weekly Wellbeing 

Gratitude – More than words (don’t forget to click on the links)

How do you express gratitude?  Over the last 2 years, ‘gratitude’ has almost become a ‘buzz word’.  Don’t get me wrong there is oodles of research to support the benefits of it in our lives, but what does gratitude actually look like?  

Often, when teaching children about gratitude, we ask them to think of 3 things that they are grateful for.  Some are now quite versed and reply “my family”, “my friends”, and “food.” These are noble things to be grateful for and this is a great start, but gratitude can be much more than that.  Gratitude is more than just saying something, it often involves doing something.  That ‘something’ does not have to cost much, or any money at all, but the expression of gratitude can have far reaching effects not only for the ‘receiver’, but for the ‘giver’ as well. 

Here are a few ways (off the top of my head) that involve the expression of gratitude:

• Writing someone an email or letter
• Texting someone
• Cutting some flowers out of your garden and giving them to someone
• Making a cuppa for someone or buying them a coffee (We are in Melbourne!)
• Making a meal for someone (this can sometimes be about being kind, but it also comes from a place of being grateful for the food you have and the capacity that you have to ‘pay it forward’).
• Writing a positive review on an organisations website and being specific about what you are grateful for
• Writing a positive product review
• Donating money to a cause out of a place of gratitude that you have access to what some people don’t
• Donating your time to help someone who is struggling, or helping an organisation that helps those who struggle
• Sharing gratefulness on social media platforms
• Sharing a story of gratitude with someone else to help them change their mindset, or at least achieve a bit of balance in their thought processes (See below)

My recent gratitude story told in the pattern of a Pixar movie

Once upon a time there were two sisters aged in their late 70s, early 80s with a passion for social justice.  Every day one of the ladies worked tirelessly to grow organic vegetable seedlings, while the other one made her lemonade and food to sustain her.  They planned to sell the seedlings and donate the money to schools, and local organisations working with people experiencing injustices.  One day (year), COVID prevented them from selling the seedlings at a local fete.  Because of that, one of the sisters spread the word to find places for the seedlings.  Because of that, multiple organisations contacted me.  Because of that 100s of seedlings were delivered to a number of residents, schools and organisations in the City of Maroondah. Until one day many people benefited from the hard work of these passionate women. 

(It doesn’t quite fit with the story, but when visiting the ladies to pick up the seedlings, I met ‘Chook’, the biggest chicken I have ever seen!.  She immediately came up to me and ‘talked’ (in chicken!).  I was then told that she was 8 years old and had been ‘in retirement’, but had just started laying again!  Amazing!

This week

Why not brainstorm with your children ways to express gratitude this week (even making their bed could be an expression of it!), or share a story ‘Pixar style’.

Until next time,

Julie Reid, on behalf of the Wellbeing Team