Giving Thanks for the Small Things
It’s November, and likely the theme of giving thanks is forefront of your mind. When fall hits, it’s as if something in us switches. Maybe it’s the changing leaves or the crisp air, but, somehow, November fills us with gratitude.
It’s natural to be grateful for the bigger things: family, friends, health, and a roof over our heads. It feels easy to give thanks for those things. But what about the less-than-obvious blessings, the ones we may not always think of? These are the things not printed on catchy wooden decor signs. They may even be slightly silly or insignificant. Let’s remember to give thanks for all the small things that make our lives feel complete.
Give Thanks for the Cozy Things
The softest duvet that feels like sleeping on a cloud. The first time you light a new candle. A bubble bath or a perfectly curated playlist. Curling up with a book in an oversized armchair as the sun streams through the window. A room lit only by a lamp or twinkle lights. A plate of warm comfort food on a cold day. A favorite movie you’ve seen a thousand times. Crisp, clean sheets. Cuddling with a pet. A quiet nursing session with a squishy babe in the middle of the night. Wrapping your hands around the season’s first hot chocolate.
We can be thankful for all the cozy things, for the things that add comfort, peace and joy to our lives. Whether they are physical objects or feelings, these things hold value. Without them, our world would be bleak. Without them, we would feel sad and lonely. They lift our moods and light up our lives.
Although they may feel like small things, we are thankful for them and their place in our days.
Give Thanks for Things We Take for Granted
A good Wi-Fi connection. A drink at just the right temperature. Genuine compliments from a friend or stranger. Technology and the ability to FaceTime distant family members. Finding a good parking spot outside a crowded building. The perfect weather—or a dreary, rainy day for curling up inside. An entire night of restful sleep. Snuggles from your child who doesn’t usually snuggle anymore. Laughter. Good neighbors. Modern medicine. The changing of seasons. An hour of total, uninterrupted productivity. The group text we go to for advice. The ability to fully experience nature minutes from our front door (Laura Conyers Smith Municipal Rose Garden, Powell Gardens).
Cultivating gratitude for the smaller things can be difficult sometimes. We take these things for granted, things right in front of our eyes or even in our neighborhood. They are always there for us to experience. These things are not always recited around our Thanksgiving tables, but they should be!
Give Thanks for Things That Improve Our Lives
Your robot vacuum. Programming your coffee maker to brew as you wake up. A cleaning service, grocery delivery or the ability to get packages to your front door in less than 48 hours (Yes, this mama is thankful for you, Amazon Prime). Coordinating calendar apps or reminders with your spouse. A treasured and trusted babysitter. Learning from our mistakes. A stranger’s kindness.
So many things—conveniences, services, extras—drastically improve our lives. We can be grateful! If we did not have access to these things, our lives would not function as smoothly as they do. We frequently overlook or rush past them. We deem them unnecessary or simply extra.
More often than not, we don’t appreciate just how valuable these unnecessary extras are. We are thankful for these little things that greatly improve our lives.
How to Give Thanks for the Small Things
We know we should give thanks, and now we know to give thanks for both the big and the small things. But how? How do we shift our mindset to be grateful for not just the larger things in life, but the smaller ones, too?
- Be present. It’s easy to bypass smaller moments of thanks when you’re not paying attention.
- Consciously practice gratitude. Whether it’s checking off giving of thanks each day on the calendar or starting first thing when you wake up, make it a priority
- Voice your thanksgiving. Sometimes, you truly need to say it out loud. Try saying it alone in the car, shower or anywhere!
- Notice things with all your senses to really experience them.
- Write it out. Try reflecting by journaling or making a list of at least three things each day.
- Check in with an accountability partner.
- Involve your children and the entire family in your practice.
- Surround yourself with like-minded, positive people. These are the people who will propel you toward gratitude!
Being thankful for all things, not just the big ones, improves our attitude. It actually changes the wiring in our brains and teaches us to be grateful for things we may otherwise overlook.
Channeling gratitude fine-tunes our responses. It allows us to be gracious and grateful, rather than frustrated or overwhelmed … at least most times. We busy parents may find it easy to slap a big metaphorical “thankful” sticker on all the major things in our lives and call it good. But let’s not forget the little things. In this season, let’s practice giving thanks for things we may have left out before. No matter how trivial or silly it may feel to do so, it can truly change not just our mindset, but the attitudes of those around us.
Giving thanks is an ongoing practice, something on which we can always improve on and toward which we can strive. So this Thanksgiving, as you go around the table and share with your loved ones all the things you are grateful for, remember the little things, too. Because though it may seem trivial to give thanks for a self-brewing coffee maker or the ability to catch a perfectly timed sunrise, you absolutely can. And should!
Kailyn Rhinehart writes from Warrensburg, MO, where she could always be more grateful for the remarkable life she lives with her husband and two littles.