It’s always the holiday season that reminds me how much I have to be grateful for. Something about roast turkey and pumpkin pie really gets me thinking about the life I’ve lived and the people who have impacted me… but as I sit here and write this with a full belly of stuffing and mashed potatoes, I wonder — why is it that we promote being grateful for what surrounds us, but rarely what is within us?
“BUT WAIT!” you might say. “Isn’t that selfish?”
Ah, that’s exactly what society wants you to believe. Think — how many holidays are dedicated solely to being grateful for yourself? Honestly, besides the occasional corporate infographic about treating yourself with kindness, or a school reminder to take care of your mental health, the concept of self gratefulness seems to be taboo. But isn’t being grateful for ourselves important?
Before you chuck a turkey leg at me, I am not at all suggesting we stop appreciating those around us. I think appreciating ourselves is actually a form of appreciating those who have shaped us.
I appreciate my love for high fantasy — a passion my father helped me develop by introducing me to Lord of the Rings. I would have never thought that watching Frodo Baggins almost get demolished by a giant spider while using the light of a mythical star to survive would turn me into a geek, but alas, it did! Now, my go to genre for books and movies is always high fantasy. In fact, I’ve even started writing my own high fantasy novel in the hopes of putting my passion for these types of worlds down on paper. I am grateful that I have the passion and opportunity to do so, and grateful for my father for leading me on this path.
I appreciate my patience with small kids — a skill I molded by hanging out with my baby nephew. He may only be two years old, but he already knows how to tell me what he wants and when he wants it. I’ve learned how to hold a child the right way (don’t laugh) and how to not panic when things go wrong (i.e. he starts bawling his eyes out). I am grateful that I can handle a toddler and grateful for my nephew for being in my life.
I appreciate my aptitude for trying to make the perfect pancake — a taste that came from spending every weekend through elementary school cooking with my mother. While the search continues every weekend of college, I wouldn’t have started this journey without the trusty encouragement of my mother all those years ago. We used to spend every Sunday morning making breakfast together. Now, even though I don’t get to be home as often, I like to think I’m continuing the tradition by designing the perfect cake in a pan. I’m grateful for my strange commitment to this project, and grateful for my mother’s ever constant encouragement and love.
It’s easy to forget to be grateful on a day-to-day basis. It’s even easier to forget to be grateful for yourself on a day-to-day basis. But caring about yourself in the same way you care about others is not selfish. We are all human, which means, we are all reflections of those around us. Our families and friends shape us into the individuals we are. By honoring ourselves, we can also honor them a little extra :)