Flip the Gratitude Switch

Chris Shelley

Life is hard. Schedules are full. Victories are few. Frustrations are frequent. Gratitude is the most effective tool for combating depression, feelings of inadequacy, anger, disappointment and fear.

A few weeks ago, my wife and I went upstate to visit our friend Maria and her family. Maria worked with my wife many years ago. We see these people once or twice a year. Whenever we visit, it feels as if we are there to celebrate some holiday not found on any traditional calendar. Each time we head back home, we feel changed in profound ways. I finally identified the key to this transformation: gratitude.

This took no divining on my part: our host, Maria, the ever-cheerful, thoughtful and chatty mother of three delightful daughters, went out of her way to talk about gratitude with us. “Every morning, when I wake up, the first thing I do is think of something I’m grateful for,” she told us as her husband steered their power boat around the waters that open up just minutes from the Huguenot Yacht Club in New Rochelle. “Whether it’s the fact that I’m healthy or that I have a bed to sleep in, there is always something to be grateful for. I always try to remind myself to be grateful for everything in my life.”

Maria makes being grateful seem like a great idea. She wears gratitude well. She always has a smile on her…