Embrace the Differences
What are you grateful for today? Sometimes it’s tough to pinpoint exactly what it is that we are grateful for on any given day – especially when working on a daily gratitude journal. Jeff says that being consistent and making sure that no day is ever a repeat of the day before can prove do be a challenge, but it’s worth the effort. The morning he recorded this podcast, it was cold and there was the usual school traffic – but Jeff soon hit on something to be grateful for. “I recognized that every school has its own personality, kind of like every person has their own personality – and that is what makes them unique,” he said. “I’m thinking that we’re all unique in our own special way, and I am grateful this morning to embrace everybody’s uniqueness.” If you are different, embrace that difference. “It’s kind of like the world is one big, giant, epic, huge, honking quilt. Many pieces, shapes, sizes, fabrics and colors – all woven together to produce that one quilt.” Jeff said that for many of us, hat quilt is so special to us. Perhaps it’s the texture, or maybe it’s the memory of all those little pieces, shapes, sizes and colors coming together. But it’s different. “Embrace being different, my friends. Embrace the differences that are in your life – because I think it’s all these differences that bring out personality, understanding, empathy, compassion, knowledge – beauty.” When you wake up and wonder what you are going to be grateful for that day, Jeff urges you to look around. Look for the nuances around you. “It’s a dreary day, but as I look around, I see colors in the sky and in the clouds, like a darkish, grayish blue. I see a little orange coming from out from the sun – yellow, white. I see different colored bricks, green trees, a different shade of green on the grass.”