Lessons In Gratitude
Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. (1 Thessalonians 5:18)
I was skimming articles and stopped cold when I spotted Tristan Tell's article, "I Asked a 91-Year-Old Therapist for Life Advice." How can you not want to know what a 91-year-old therapist recommends? Savannah is an experienced therapist, and she prefers Gen Z clients. She recognizes that being more than half a century apart from her clients provides the distance necessary to relax and see each other's situations more clearly.
When helping Gen-Z individuals through their struggles and fears, she often challenges them by asking, "Why search for happiness in what you could have when you have so much to be grateful for already?" When we are in the early part of adulthood, there are so many demands for achieving success that often, the potential obstacles become more apparent than our existing blessings. Savannah's wisdom comes through her pain. She said, "I often neglected the present." Her honesty and experience give her the right to share with younger people.
Savannah challenges her clients to embrace gratitude at each step along life's journey. Some of Savanah's clients started gratitude journals. Others took time in nature, listening to birds sing and wind whistling through the foliage, stopping and focusing on the people and experiences before you, creating an appreciation for the blessings often missed.
Whether you are Gen-Z or in your 90s, a meaningful life occurs when you do what my grandmother used to say, "stop and smell the flowers." When you take moments to notice and appreciate the joys around you, gratitude swells within you. The large and little joys are God's moments that allow you to witness the sacred all around you. Remember Savanah's joyous words, "Happiness is not the result of a long process of working towards a distant goal. Happiness is the sum of what we are grateful for every day." Allow Savanah and God the opportunity to renew your sense of gratitude.