Thank you to all the people in my life who have supported me in any way.  Thank you for your patience, your kindness, your tolerance, and your wisdom.  I appreciate the ear you let me chew when I needed to talk, or the hand you let me hold when I needed comforting.  I am grateful for the laughter you have shared and the excitement and hope that you brought my way.  I am thankful for the opportunities I have had in my life to be part of important things – students’ learning experiences, my children’s growing years, and the many times I have been included in happy celebrations for the important moments in other’s lives.

I never thanked a higher power  in those thoughts above. I don’t really need to in my mind because that conversation is a daily and ongoing dialogue but there are people out there who don’t want, don’t know, or don’t need that in their lives.  My observation of this though is that some of these people don’t really feel gratitude and appreciation on a daily basis.  I sense that in some of these people they feel they owe no one gratitude or thanks and believe that they have earned it all.  I see individuals who simply believe that what they have has been worked hard for and that therefore they owe no thanks or appreciation to anyone or anything.  I see those people become complacent and disillusioned. I see bitterness set in when they don’t get what they feel they deserve.  

Gratitude and appreciation is necessary for joyful, happy lives.  If you believe you are entitled to something based on the hard work and effort you put forth,  you are setting yourself up for potential disappointment and frustration. Expectations for good based solely on effort and exertion is a formula for let down. Do good because it is the right thing to do.  Be kind because that is the way it should be. Work hard and do your best because to do less cheats yourself and everyone else.  I am learning that appreciating the small things in life, being aware and grateful for surprises and simply what I hope for helps to mitigate and erase the let down when things do not turn out as I may have planned.  

What do you think?  What are you thankful for? Do expectations work for you?