I'm fortunate to say that I have been on both sides of this coin. And I recognize that my perception of what seems common and socially acceptable may be influenced by my own comfort/discomfort in expressing myself.
I have been thinking a lot lately about how to express my gratitude though. Why don't I know how to express gratitude? Sure, I can say "thank you!" But this does not come close to conveying the depth of the feeling I have. I guess I can say, "I am so grateful...". But this too doesn't quite seem to be enough. Gifts? No. Cards? No. Ummm. I got nothing.
Through discussions about this, I've been given the suggestion to say what I can say ("thank you", "I am so grateful"...) but even more powerful is to pay it forward. What I mean by pay it forward is... to think about the things that I am so grateful for and do what I can to provide the same for other people. While I still feel like this doesn't quite give the credit due for what I feel, I do think it is a powerful way to fully appreciate the level of gratitude inside of me.
I have also been thinking about how to express my excitement about my life "politely". I have been conditioned to feel like this kind of expression is considered bragging, or makes me conceited, or inconsiderate of other peoples' situations. Yet, I don't worry about the same sorts of things when it comes to complaining or being down on myself. For this reason, I tend to downplay things I have going on in my life. While I am rather humble by nature, I find myself at times consciously keeping exciting news about myself to myself.
I also recognize that my perceptions are fed by my experiences and are not true for everyone. I have had a lot of different experiences though, and while this seems to be true a lot of the time, it is certainly not true all of the time. What I have found is that the more I express whatever it is that I am feeling - positive or negative - I am able to evaluate the social situations I put myself in; and which ones I prefer and which I don't. From there I can begin to craft a social life that is supportive and equally celebratory.
Now, I get that crafting a new social life, if desired, is not an easy thing to do. It is possible though. Read a little bit about how to find your tribe and how to handle it when the people in your life don't get you.
It seems we live in a culture that thrives on negativity - from what is covered in the news, to how common gossip is, to the reality that the cliche saying even exists - "misery loves company". And how about the fact that most people are more comfortable viewing media showing murder and rape than they are breast-feeding and sex for pleasure? Don't get me started.. that is a whole different story for another day!
My point is, I would love it if more people got on board with expressing gratitude and celebrating life. I suppose the social media trends of 100 days of happiness and gratitude challenges are a start but why not challenge yourself and others to find happiness and gratitude in ALL of the days?
It seems we live in a culture that thrives on negativity - from what is covered in the news, to how common gossip is, to the reality that the cliche saying even exists - "misery loves company". And how about the fact that most people are more comfortable viewing media showing murder and rape than they are breast-feeding and sex for pleasure? Don't get me started.. that is a whole different story for another day!
My point is, I would love it if more people got on board with expressing gratitude and celebrating life. I suppose the social media trends of 100 days of happiness and gratitude challenges are a start but why not challenge yourself and others to find happiness and gratitude in ALL of the days?
