September - Gratitude
There have been many things to be grateful for this month. September being suicide awareness month it reminds me how the community comes together to remember our lost loved ones and lessen the stigma around mental health and suicide. I am grateful for all of those that walk with us and reach out. Our shared experience and focus help us pass on the message of hope and perseverance. This month my cousin’s children presented me with an envelope. They wanted to do a day of service and unknowingly to me, chose the RoanYourBoat Foundation to raise money for. They baked cookies and sold them in their neighborhood raising over $170. Their unsolicited efforts brought tears to my eyes (see picture above).
Gratitude has brought me full circle to 2021. We started the promotion of the Roanyouboat Foundation a year ago with our attitude of gratitude social media campaign. Announcing that we were an “official” 501 3-C. This journey has both felt long and arduous and quick as lighting. Of course, I never had an inkling my life would take the turns it has. Gratitude has been a compass for me. Not to discount the difficulties but to reframe or refocus on the small things that positively impact me and the world. The first year after the loss of Roan I was in a fog of shock, seemingly OK to the outside world. The splendor of my “old” world seemed to be a distant memory. Can we hold space in our hearts and minds for the darkness, the light, the challenges, and the beauty? The glass is not half full or half empty but both, depending on which you focus on. Many of you have heard me say repeatedly that “life is hard, but it is beautiful.” Nature teaches us this concept all the time. The transition to fall and winter is a perfect time to stop and notice where you are. The autumn equinox is the day we have balance between dark and light and can be a helpful metaphor and a time for setting intentions.
Research suggests that gratitude is associated with many benefits, including better physical and psychological health, increased happiness, life satisfaction, decreased materialism, and more. In general, more grateful people are happier, more satisfied with their lives, less selfish, and less likely to suffer from burnout. Additionally, studies have found that gratitude practices, like keeping a “gratitude journal” or writing a letter of gratitude can increase people’s happiness, connection, and overall positive mood.
Gratitude is as sometime called “social glue” which suggests gratitude inspires people to be more generous, kind, and helpful (“prosocial”); strengthens relationships, promotes community and can even improve the climate in workplaces. Gratitude is a key component of resiliency. It helps us overcome challenges more readily and promotes a more hopeful future.
Gratitude is simple to implement with daily focus or gratitude journal. With its many positive health, mental health, and social benefits, why wouldn’t you try.