Sometimes it’s the quiet moments,

The ones leading up, the gentle, constant effort.

Sometimes it’s the moments when you wouldn’t think to take a photo, when your not lost in the intangible world but instead deeply anchored in the present. 

It’s not always the captured moments and loudly exclaimed platitudes that I’ve heard that matter most when we are fading.

Sometimes it’s the quiet ones, in solitude or shared. We could be yelling or not making a noise but they are quiet in their sacredness, sometimes they pass you by, you live them and keep on going without attention.

Taking time to live gratitude for the love you’ve received and growth you’ve achieved enriches how we experience our life. 

I’ve done so much for what feels like the past eternity, but it’s this quiet moment that I feel my most rich.

Gratitude increases our well-being, brings harmony to our relationships and produces generosity and compassion. Practising gratitude allows us to develop a greater sense of happiness, optimism and overall satisfaction in our lives. It also enables us to make greater progress toward our life’s goals, creates a sense of feeling loved and decreases our experiences of stress and shows significant benefits of reducing feelings of depression.

Ways that we can practice gratitude include journalling three things we are grateful each day, letting a loved one know that we appreciate them, slowing down and noticing beauty in nature, simply smiling, recognising how you are doing with focus on your strengths, listening deeply to others, living mindfully and practicing meditation.

Further reading

Alspach, G. (2009). Extending the tradition of giving thanks recognizing the health benefits of gratitude. Critical Care Nurse, 29(6), 12–18. https://doi.org/10.4037/ccn2009331