Somewhere along the line people have gotten gratitude confused with other things like groveling. Groveling is when someone is on their knees pleading for something like a favor or item, but gratitude does not involve pleading – it is about acknowledging all that you have. Another is piety – this is about accepting a view unconditionally. Again, gratitude is not about accepting your plight, but acknowledgment of your blessings.

I know it’s hard sometimes to be grateful for what you currently have or that you’re alive. We all have those days where circumstances are so hard or tiresome or hurtful. And because we are human, we can sometimes get bogged down in those feelings and forget about gratitude. I believe we are forgiven for those trespasses, as long as we can recoup and remember that there are good things in our lives as well as those bad or hard things.

Have you ever thought about the people who have a sunny disposition all the time but don’t really believe they are constantly happy? You’re right. The clown mask is very often worn by us all in order to cope, and it feels better than frowning and griping all the time. I just wish we could be grateful (or at least act grateful) sometimes for the little things like sunrise, food at our tables, family and friends, and the capacity to do things.