On gratitude as a muscle

A few years ago, I experimented with something in my diary: I expressed gratitude for something every day.

And despite everything that I know in the abstract that I have to be thankful for, the exercise turned out to be harder than I thought.

Gratitude, as many who sat at Thanksgiving tables today racking their minds for something to credit with their gratitude know, does not come easy. It is no simple feeling, felt with the immediacy of delight. It’s a hard-won feeling, borne out of reflection.

And that’s the hard part, the reflection. I realized this as I listed a daily moment of gratitude. It was not easy—nothing like jotting down what I had for lunch or dinner. Gratitude—actual gratitude—demanded some effort.

I feel like you hear a lot this time of year how good gratitude can be for you. But good rarely means easy—and that too often gets left out. That’s also to say that if it’s only once a year that we collectively flex, and reflect on those things we are grateful for, then we better take care not to pull or tear that weak, weak muscle. And maybe make a commitment to exercise more in the future.