How to Be Grateful All the Time

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My toilet has a leak.  Not an awful, room-destroying leak!  Just a small leak from the tank into the bowl.  It's undoubtedly a problem with the flapper or the fill valve.  My husband Jon will take a look at it on the weekend.


But in the meantime, the little leaky sound is annoying.  It's not just that it's wasting water (which in California is a bad thing).  It's a sound that doesn't stop.  Like a dripping faucet, it gets tiresome very quickly.


Fortunately, while I was bemoaning this state of affairs, I had another thought that almost made me laugh.  Somewhere in the world today, someone doesn't have a toilet.  In fact, my grandparents grew up using outhouses.  I don't think any of them had an indoor bathroom until their adult years.  And my mom spent the first years of her life basically camping in a barn.


I can get up this minute, go to the kitchen, turn on the tap, and get a glass of clean, refreshing, life-giving water.  I don't have to walk 30 minutes (or more) to the nearest water source.  I don't have to worry that the water coming out of the tap will make me sick.  I've never had to worry about that.  But the latest information from the World Health Organization and UNICEF reveals that more than 2 billion people in the world still lack access to safe drinking water.  Hundreds of millions of people lack access to any sanitary facilities.


And I'm frustrated by the drip, drip, drip of my toilet.  Ridiculous!


clean water from the faucet - photo by Jacek Dylag on Unsplash



The secret to gratitude


I needed this reminder, because the secret to being more grateful isn't a journal or positive affirmations, although those can help.  It's much simpler – and more challenging – than that.


When I realize how much I already have, I immediately become more thankful.  When I remember that I'm not entitled to more than anyone else, my gratitude grows.


Gratitude isn't something we fake.  It's something that appears naturally when we give up the idea that we're especially deserving of comfort and convenience.  Entitlement is the opposite of gratitude.  It trains us to expect an easy life, full of perks and pleasure.


Our culture is rooted in consumerism.  And as consumers, we've been told we deserve the latest styles and the newest upgrades.  We deserve a promotion or a vacation.  We deserve to own our dream house and succeed in all our endeavors.  And if we don't get those things, we feel cheated – or someone else makes us feel like a failure, or lazy, or stupid.  Because if we were smart, worked hard, and played by the rules, we wouldn't be having so much trouble.


Religious people sometimes get this wrong.  The idea that if you're a good person, and try to live by good teachings, everything will work out to your benefit can be detrimental to real faith.

It is a fatal mistake to assume that God's goal for your life is prosperity....  Faithfulness to God does not guarantee success.
[The apostle] Paul was faithful, yet he ended up in prison.  John the Baptist was faithful, but he was beheaded.  Millions of faithful people have been martyred, have lost everything, or have come to the end of life with nothing to show for it.
Character is developed by and revealed by tests, and all of life is a test.  God constantly watches your response to people, problems, success, conflict, illness, disappointment, and even the weather!
Will you be faithful when you don't see a reward?
Rick Warren





A powerful difference


Consider how different you'd feel every day if you stripped away the assumption that life should always be trouble-free.  Imagine how gratitude would well up inside you if you appreciated every unearned, undeserved comfort.

  • the eggs I ate for breakfast
  • the fresh, hot coffee
  • the car I know will start when I need to use it later
  • the doctor I can go to when I think I might need an antibiotic
  • the antibiotic itself
  • my medical insurance, and the cash in my wallet for co-pays
  • my daughter and son who will answer cheerfully when I call them
  • my husband who will fix the toilet – along with everything else he does for me

None of these are guaranteed.  All are gifts.  When I realize this, I don't have to "try" to be grateful.  It's a natural response.  All I have to do is pay attention.


Everything about our culture will make us dissatisfied.  We're pushed to buy more and do more.  We're tempted to compare ourselves to others.  We're pressured to accumulate and achieve.


But we can choose to think differently.  We can realize that we already have it better than the vast majority of people in all of human history, and that we have an easier, more convenient, and more materially blessed life than billions of others today.


And when we do that, life is sweeter.  Your job may be challenging, but it still pays the bills.  Your child may have a cold, but you can both use a rest and some cozy care.  Today's an ordinary Monday, but you're alive to count your blessings.


This isn't just Pollyanna positivity.  When we remove the blinders of entitlement, we can shift our focus from what annoys us or what we worry about to all the good things in our lives.  Gratitude grows, and it's powerful.


I'm thankful for my toilet.  Really!  Even with this little leak, it still works the way it's supposed to.  It's a sanitary convenience that's not even possible in many places around the world.  I am so blessed.


Related article:  A Lesson in Gratitude


I'm so grateful for all of you who buy me coffee.  Thank you for your support!


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