I believe that appreciation and gratitude are the foundation for happiness and it’s the appreciation of what we often think of as ‘the little things’ that can really impact how we feel about life.
When I was traveling through China recently, I loved being woken up at 4am with birdsongs. I actually love it at home, too. It really gives me a wonderful start to the day when I’ve been blessed to hear birds singing. It always puts a smile on my face.
Now, in China, I was particularly grateful to hear birds singing because a friend of mine had shared her travel experience with me of when she had visited China some 20 years ago. She had remarked at how sad it was not to see any birds flying nor hear any birds singing.
You see, unlike the wealthy China of today, back then, the country was far from wealthy. People struggled to access meat and as a result, birds were used as a source of food. So for me, being in China and hearing the birds singing – well, it brought me great joy knowing that the birds had returned.
So my question to you is, when you get woken up at 4am by birdsongs, do you grumble and complain about it or do you lie back and enjoy their unique tunes?
Think about it. How sad would it be if you lived somewhere where you couldn’t see nor hear birds singing?
Each and every one of us are recipients of incredible blessings but more often than not, we don’t even recognise them.
The fact that you are reading this post demonstrates the blessing of eyesight. The fact that you woke up this morning is a blessing of life. There are people who laid their head on a pillow for the very last time last night. And the fact that you can hear birds singing – even at 4am – shows that you are blessed with hearing.
You have so much in your life to be grateful for. Remember to see it, appreciate it and enjoy it.
Dear Vera, that was soo beautiful. Birds are a big joy of my day, in seeing them and hearing their song. Even more so I appreciate your words of being grateful can make us happy, and can bring us out of sadness. Thankyou for sharing these special words. We have so much to be grateful for, even though sometimes we dont realise it. xx
That’s so true, Kerry. I’ve learned that sadness and gratitude cannot exist at the same time, so when we are sitting with feelings of gratitude, there’s no space for sadness. And there is just so much to be grateful for in our lives. We just need to look and pay attention to what we have.
Thanks for your feedback and comments.